Testimonials
Herman Li
"Burger King was going through a major downturn. At the time we were highly leveraged and badly impacted by the decline in cash flows. Hans Sohlen helped us navigate through this difficult period for the Burger King brand. He negotiated standstill and cash flow friendly agreements with BKC and our lenders while the brand bottomed out. With Sohlen's guidance, we successfully exited three markets (one involved a significant write-down with a modest deficiency note). Hans was able to sort through the complex ownership and legal structures of 16 different entities. He helped facilitate communication to keep all these various stakeholders (including our lenders and franchisor) happy. Hans steps in to provide advice and guidance when we contemplate capital markets activity; he provides perspective and helps us navigate these increasingly complex financial markets. His understanding of where the lenders are coming from, coupled with his commitment to our business, has saved us millions of dollars and has put C&L back on sound financial footing."
Herman Li, Chairman, C&L Group (78 Burger Kings)
Larry Rybo
" A restructure company in Texas had failed to come up with a plan that would satisfy my lender or pay backed-up real estate taxes. Hans Sohlen came up with a creative restructure plan that included a modified interest-only period and introduced me to the competitive 1031 exchange market where we got the most money and best terms. Over a couple of years, Sohlen Franchise Advisors has helped guide my business through a difficult period. I've retired over $3MM in debt and complete three Series 6000/YO4 remodels. With a clear plan and monthly cash-flow monitoring, I have strengthened my balance sheet and built up excess cash. We recently completed a refinance on my fee property that further reduced my monthly payments and allowed me to complete my final Series 6000 upgrade. Annual budgeting and monthly monitoring help me stay focused on the capital side of my business and ensure that I am well positioned for the future. "
Larry Rybo, owner LarBev, Inc. (4 KFCs)
Tom Arnold
"The KFC brand was losing traction and cash-flow was tight. Our underlying debt structure with a securitized lender was complex and unwieldy. Hans Sohlen designed a strategy to retire debt by tapping into the real estate side of the business. He helped us put the business on a much stronger financial footing. Executed over a couple of years, this plan brought the company to a position where we could refinance to take out the poorly structured securitized senior debt, generate funds to buy out my partner, and upgrade over 20 stores to Series 6000 standards. I appreciate having ongoing access to Hans for financial monitoring, long-term planning as well as being a sounding board for strategic opportunities."
Tom Arnold, CEO, Premier Restaurant Management (51 KFCs)