Case Study: Interim CFO Advances PE-Owned Regional HVAC Firm

THE SITUATION

The sudden departure of the CFO at an air conditioning services provider in Southwest Florida presented its private equity owners a challenge and an opportunity.

The ownership team immediately needed the position filled with an experienced and skilled professional who could keep financial operations running smoothly. Urgently wanting someone who could better meet their needs – and expectations – with more strategic thinking, counsel, and financial reporting, the team turned to Fahrenheit Advisors.

OUR APPROACH

Fahrenheit connected the firm with Mike Escobar, a director in Fahrenheit’s Finance & Accounting Practice, to serve as interim CFO while the company executed a search for a permanent replacement.

Escobar, a veteran consultant with more than 20 years of finance experience, including performing CFO duties for PE-owned portfolio companies, hit the ground running. He connected with staff, learned the company’s processes, and quickly became a trusted advisor and more.

THE RESULTS

Escobar, one of dozens of experienced finance and accounting professionals on Fahrenheit’s team, quickly understood the company’s existing financial operations and delivered process and reporting improvements that created new efficiencies and provided deeper financial insights to executives, board members, and the firm’s PE owners.

Additionally, Escobar played an integral role in the hiring of a new permanent CFO, participating in interviews and hiring decision conversations. The firm also turned to Escobar to help coordinate and design and implement a new enterprise resource planning solution.

Escobar integrated seamlessly with the portfolio company’s team, minimized the disruption that comes whenever key leaders depart, and went above and beyond to bring value, setting a new standard for the CFO role at the company.