David J. Distel, CPA, CTP, CFF, ABV | Partner and Sr. Managing Director
Email – ddistel@amicusmanagement.com
With over 30 years of experience, Dave is an expert in Receiverships, Bankruptcies, Turnaround/Restructuring, Liquidations, and Buying/Selling Businesses. Over his career, he has served in the roles of CEO, CFO, COO, CRO, Receiver, and Financial Advisor in private industry and consulting. From 2014 to 2019 he served as Chief Executive Officer, successfully leading two money losing companies and grew both top and bottom lines. He is skilled at quickly assessing situations and finding the most impactful levers to positively change profitability, cash flows, and culture.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Distel was a Partner and Senior Managing Director with another strategic advisory firm for 10 years, where he led strategic projects, receiverships, and turnarounds serving as Interim Chief Executive Officer, Chief Restructuring Officer, Receiver, Chief Liquidation Officer, Expert Witness, and Financial Advisor for clientele both inside and outside of bankruptcy. Prior to that, Mr. Distel served spent 15 years with Deloitte’s audit and mergers & acquisitions consulting practices serving as CFO and COO of both private and publicly traded operating companies.
Mr. Distel has won professional industry awards and holds a license as a Certified Public Accountant, and Certifications in Financial Forensics, Business Valuation, and Turnaround/Restructurings. He is the original founding President of the Turnaround Management Association in West Michigan and has been published numerous times.
You can reach David at – ddistel@amicusmanagement.com
Matthew S. Thiede, MBA | Partner and Senior Managing Director
Email – mthiede@amicusmanagement.com
Matt has over 25 years of experience creating value for stakeholders of distressed and healthy businesses by formulating and implementing strategic solutions to complex business problems. He has led numerous companies through crisis management resulting in improved cash flow, profitability, asset preservation, and asset recovery. He has served as a Chief Restructuring Officer in out of court turnarounds, financial advisor in bankruptcies, receiver for real estate projects and operating entities, partitioning commissioner, liquidator, and as a financial expert in litigation cases.
Matt has extensive experience in in agriculture, greenhouses, food processing, construction, engineering, real estate, not-for-profit organizations, transportation, consumer package goods, and manufacturing.
You can reach Matthew at – mthiede@amicusmanagement.com
Gregory E. Simsa, MBA, CMA | Managing Director
Email – gsimsa@amicusmanagement.com
Greg Simsa is a Certified Management Accountant and Managing Director at Distel Thiede Advisory Services, LLC with primary responsibility for providing and managing engagements in the areas of accounting and finance. He is an accomplished executive, with many years of experience in financial leadership and general management roles in middle market companies, leading under-performing companies through transitions to achieve consistent profitability while managing company risk.
Prior to Mr. Simsa transitions to consulting, he served 15+ years in the capacities of CFO, CRO and General Manager of middle market companies and 11+ years in various finance roles at in large market companies (office furniture). He is an expert at assessing and understanding the fundamental problems a business faces and providing and executing plans to effectively address these issues.
Mr. Simsa provides clients with a range of expert services in accounting and finance, including cash flow, budgeting, forecasting, cost/management accounting, price/margin analysis, break-even analysis, risk management, lender relationships, internal controls, process development, and development of staff.
Mr. Simsa holds a master’s degree, with honors, in business administration from the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting, with honors, from Ferris State University.
You can reach Gregory at – gsimsa@amicusmanagement.com
Starrla McDonald | Project Coordinator
Email – smcdonald@amicusmanagement.com
Starrla McDonald has more than 20 years of experience in real estate transactions and court documentation. Starrla joined Amicus in 2007 as a project coordinator and employed her attention to detail to know the exact status of Amicus projects and communicate that information clearly to all stakeholders including courts, attorneys, creditors, plaintiffs, and defendants.
Starrla’s involvement goes far beyond that of a reporting function. She takes a hands-on approach to preserving and improving value during disposition by working with on-site managers to make sure they have support and adequate resources to effectively manage the assets. Furthermore, she makes sure that there is a smooth transition of ownership of assets, such as Class C and SDD/SDM liquor licenses, from an Amicus receivership to a buyer.
At one point in her career, Starrla managed a portfolio of more than 2,000 real estate owned (REO) properties spanning seven states. Her involvement in thousands of commercial/residential real estate closings has given her significant expertise in REO property management. That experience has served her well as project coordinator for Amicus.
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Western Michigan University.
You can reach Starrla at – smcdonald@amicusmanagement.com
Lou Betten | Project Director
Lou Betten has developed a unique skill set over the past 40 years derived from manufacturing management and sales, licensed debt collection, law enforcement, and private investigation. Lou is effective at uncovering the most pertinent facts in business litigation and acts quickly to maintain the underlying value of the asset.
Lou will interview and gain the cooperation of key employees to determine the true status of the business and the location of business assets. Lou coordinates with auction companies, equipment brokers, and purchasers to supervise the orderly sale or liquidation of assets. Lou’s experience and investigative work has translated into increased recoveries. In one case, he tracked down and secured $250,000 of heavy equipment and intercepted a $90,000 rent check to the benefit of the receivership estate.
Lou is a licensed private investigator with training and real-world experience in defusing and settling the most contentious situations.
Hagen Voelkers CHA, CFBE | Director of Hospitality Management
As director of hospitality management, Hagen Voelkers has acted as consultant and general manager on properties in receiverships, workouts, and bankruptcies. With his intimate knowledge and training acquired over the past 35 years, Hagen is able to provide exceptional advice in the operation and management of hospitality properties, including full and limited-service.
Hagen provided wide-ranging leadership during a workout of a Michigan resort hotel and marina that involved Chapter 11 reporting requirements, including cash flow projections, budgets, and asset disclosure. Hagen reviewed all internal systems, organized sales teams, and coached staff to reduce the property’s operating expenses and preserve the asset value during its sale.
Prior to his relationship with Amicus, Hagen served as general manager, regional director of operations, and director of marketing and sales for hospitality industry companies operating Sheraton, Marriott, Holiday Inn, and Choice Hotel brands.
Hagen has been a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) and a Certified Food & Beverage Executive (CFBE) since 1980. He received his undergraduate degree in hotel and restaurant management in Hannover, Germany, and pursued graduate studies in economics and finance at St. John’s University in Queens, New York.