OUR PEOPLE
Richard Sebastiao
Founder
Dick has been providing management advisory services to a wide range of clients for more than 30 years since graduating with honors from Northeastern University. Following six years as a Big Four CPA he spent 15 years in senior management positions with Fortune 500 and privately held companies before launching RAS Management Advisors, Inc. in 1989. Dick resides in Rhode Island.
His experience with more than 290 entities from $3 million to $2 billion in sales has provided exposure to the full-range of business challenges and opportunities faced by most distressed companies. Extensive contacts in the national banking and investment communities provide a large pool of financing and equity alternatives to troubled or growing companies.
Dick also has extensive experience in the negotiation of sale and merger transactions as well as debt restructuring, Chapter 11 management and reorganizations.
Timothy Boates
President & Member
Tim is a CPA (inactive), is fluent in German and holds a BSBA in Accounting from the University of Houston. He has acted as the Chief Restructuring Officer, CEO, Interim CFO and/or the Restructuring Advisor in many industries both in and outside of Chapter 11. Since joining RAS in 2000, Tim has worked on more than 160 assignments. He has extensive experience in negotiating the sale of divisions and whole companies in complex transactions both in the U.S. and Europe, and he has also performed extensive due diligence reviews for financial institutions. He's also led the development of new systems and controls at many clients as well as directing the integration of business operations resulting from acquisitions / mergers. Many of these assignments have included advising on downsizing activities, including the closure of plants and/or other operations as well as the restructuring and repositioning of clients within their industries.
Tim is based in Huntsville, Alabama and started his career with a major international accounting firm where he spent 8 years, including 3 in Germany, during which time he was heavily involved in advising on acquisitions and in deal negotiations across Europe. Subsequent to his public accounting career he was a CEO and CFO of companies in food distribution and electronics manufacturing services.
Timothy Puopolo
Consultant & Member
Tim has performed extensive forensic reviews at major clients resulting in significant recoveries for the affected lenders. He has also performed wind downs and liquidations both in and out of bankruptcy in varied industries, including transportation, financial services, health and beauty aides, painting, and automotive parts, producing positive results for affected lenders and stakeholders.
Additionally, Tim has performed extensive services in Chapter 11 cases, including pursuit of avoidance actions and claims negotiation with significant results.
Tim has been affiliated with RAS Management for over 15 years. Prior to joining us, he spent five years holding various In-House Counsel positions at a major NYSE electronics firm in Texas and Arizona. Tim is an attorney, licensed to practice in Massachusetts and a graduate of Boston College and New England School of Law/Boston, he resides in Phoenix, Arizona.
Patrick Carew
Consultant
Pat resides in New York and is a 1985 graduate of New York University where he earned a BS degree in Finance. He has over 30 years experience in financial management within manufacturing and retail operations, where he has held positions of increasing responsibility, including roles as Controller and Chief Financial Officer.
Pat has guided retail and service provider clients through operational and financial restructurings, both in and out of bankruptcy, with his primary focus being on the clients’ financial operations. He has extensive experience in planning, cost reduction implementation, cash management and forecasting, and refinancing collateralized loans. He has also led projects on process improvement and the development of control documentation.
Paul Gricus
Consultant
Paul has 20 years of experience advising companies in financial distress. He has acted as the interim CFO on long term assignments for two companies in preparation for their ultimate sale, directing the preparation of the prospectus for the sale, marketing documents, negotiating sale and proposals and working with the investment bankers. He led the turnaround of one of these companies. In addition, he has been heavily involved in due diligence reviews to assist companies in their negotiations with lenders to restructure their dept, improve liquidity and manage cash. He has negotiated restructurings with lenders and unsecured creditors. Paul was also involved in the management of the overseas operation of a major international consulting firm and the monitoring of operations for a major international construction company.
Prior to joining us, Paul was a long time audit partner at a major international accounting firm where he worked on a multitude of industries. Paul resides in Rhode Island and holds a BS from Boston College with a major in Finance and an MBA from Michigan State University. Paul is a CPA, a member of the Turnaround Management Association and a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute.
Michael Rizzo
Consultant
Mike joined RAS Management in 2004. Since joining us, he has served in various advisory and management roles while assisting clients ranging in size from $20 million to $1 billion in annual revenue with turnarounds, restructurings and wind-downs both in and outside of bankruptcy. His responsibilities have included stabilizing cash flows, negotiating with vendors and customers, assisting in the sale of operating divisions, monetizing unproductive assets, monitoring operations and developing financial projections and asset valuations. Mike has also performed several due diligence reviews for lenders and company management, improving liquidity and reducing overhead. He has also advised clients in the manufacture of air conditioners, compressors, automotive parts, and financial service companies.
Prior to joining us, Mike held various senior financial management positions including that of CFO. He is a graduate of Boston College with a Bachelor of Science Degree from the School of Management with a major in Accounting. Mike resides in Massachusetts.
Robert Tetreault
Consultant
Bob has amassed extensive experience on over 100 assignments since joining the firm at its inception. Since that time, he has assisted with cash management in very serious situations, installing reporting systems to monitor results in and out of Chapter 11, including all filing requirements, managing complete liquidations of retailers, manufacturers and distributors, negotiating substantial reductions in unsecured debts and extending payment plans in domestic and international scenarios. On the restructuring side (both in and out of court), Bob has performed numerous due diligence reviews (for secured lenders and private equity), operating reviews, operating plan development and review, cash management and operating efficiency implementations.
Bob has worked with manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers and service organizations in a variety of industries including apparel, furniture, toys, fuels, metals, tobacco, mattresses, home décor, electronics, transportation, staffing, eyewear, music and videos, jewelry, tile, auto parts and many others.
Bob has an extensive background in Chapter 11 management and has held the CFO position in a major footwear manufacturer/retailer, an international management consulting firm, a specialty automotive parts distributor and a fastener manufacturer. Bob resides in South Florida.