About James
Jim Balcom has close to 20 years of diverse, hands-on experience in advising companies, lenders, private equity sponsors, management teams and boards of directors of stressed, underperforming and Chapter 11 companies. He has industry expertise in many areas, including consumer products, retail, healthcare, energy, power, ethanol, entertainment, sports, insurance, sidecars, chemicals, industrials and technology sectors.
Mr. Balcom’s experience includes advising investors, equity sponsors, borrowers and clients on strategic alternatives for distressed and bankruptcy situations, and leading amendments, waivers, workouts, restructurings, forbearance agreements and other distressed processes for a myriad of sectors and companies. This has involved recommending compensation levels necessary for a transaction to clear market, including amendment fees, spread increases, PIK fees, LIBOR/base rate floors, call protection, sponsor equity injections, equity cures, debt buybacks and warrants.
Other areas Mr. Balcom has advised on include leading and negotiating debtor-in-possession credit agreements, exit facilities, rescue financings and incremental facilities; monitoring covenant compliance with credit agreements, leading covenant relief amendments and suggesting modified covenant levels; monitoring company performance versus plan and prior year; reviewing business plans and projections; assessing cash flow and liquidity; determining sustainable leverage levels; performing due diligence; and preparing and analyzing company valuation.
Mr. Balcom has led lender calls; created and chaired steering committees both in and out of court; worked closely with hedge funds, CLOs and institutional investors to negotiate and consummate transactions; negotiated pre-packaged and pre-arranged bankruptcies; acted as administrative agent and worked as a buy-side private equity investor and also as an auditor.
Mr. Balcom has advised companies, owners and lenders in a multitude of industries. Some of Mr. Balcom’s notable assignments include Targus, a $500 million consumer products company; LyondellBassell, a $50 billion chemicals and fuel conglomerate; Fender Musical Instruments, a $500 million consumer products manufacturer; Movie Gallery, a movie rental retailer with more than $1 billion of debt; Northeast Biofuels, an ethanol producer; Stratus, a technology company; Hologic, a healthcare company; FHC, a healthcare company; The New York Yankees; Carey International, a limousine company; First Light Power, a multibillion-dollar power company; Eagle Rock, a large oil and gas company; and Barney’s, a large retailer.
Prior to joining FTI Consulting, Mr. Balcom worked in the Bank Debt Portfolio and Investment Banking divisions at Goldman Sachs for more than eight years. Before that, he worked as a restructuring advisor at Houlihan Lokey and Zolfo Cooper, as a buy side private equity investor at CoBe Capital, and as both an auditor and restructuring advisor at Ernst & Young.
Certifications
Certified Insolvency & Restructuring Advisor (CIRA)
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Certified Turnaround Professional (CTP)
Education
B.B.A., University of Wisconsin
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Contact
T: +1 212 841 9356
james.balcom@fticonsulting.com -
Office
1166 Avenue of the Americas
15th Floor
New York, NY 10036
United States
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Expertise
Corporate Finance