Bette K. Hiramatsu

Bringing over 20 years of experience in consulting, commercial banking, corporate finance and marketing for underperforming and troubled mid-sized and Fortune 1000 companies, Bette has repeatedly demonstrated a proven track record of outstanding results for her clients.  Her work turning around her client’s businesses has resulted in companies with positive cash flows achieved through creative problem solving, planning and forecasting, and improved financial management.  Along with Prolman Associates, Bette has previously assisted clients in conjunction with other reputable turnaround management consulting firms with much success.

 With a number of years of consulting under her belt, Bette has worked with a diverse clientele, including retail, wholesale, manufacturing, professional services, and more. Some additional areas of expertise include the restructuring of unsecured debt and the re-negotiation of leases.  Bette has extensive experience in the areas of forecasting, current asset management, process improvements, and lease and debt management.  Examples of her work include Crazy Shirts, Inc., a resort-oriented apparel retail chain where Bette re-negotiated over two dozen retail leases yielding a net savings of millions of dollars over the life of those leases; restructured the unsecured debt to meet projected cash flows; closed underperforming stores; performed market research and developed new stores; prepared the business plan for distribution to potential investors and buyers; reduced SG&A staff to practicable levels, resulting in millions in annual savings; liquidated excess inventory; restructured vendor relationships; identified non core assets to be sold; and eliminated trade related lawsuits through out-of-court negotiation, not only preserving her client’s cash flow, but avoiding the public notice of lengthy litigation. 

 In addition, Bette has negotiated the structure of an acquisition and related financing for a mid-sized automotive service company, later guiding the company on post-acquisition integration issues. She has guided the turnaround of another mid-sized business first in terms of the stabilization of cash, then the reduction of costs and the restructuring of manufacturing processes to improve cycle times. Her ability to act as an alter ego with senior management, to implement solutions jointly with all levels of management, as well as her strategic vision, good negotiation skills, and strong verbal and written communications make her a strong and indispensable asset.

 Bette has an Executive MBA from the University of California at Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California.