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Al
Work
Childs Company
e-mail
Al Work
Al
Work is a seasoned business executive with over 25 years of
corporate and entrepreneurial experience. He has acquired,
started, operated and sold businesses in the manufacturing
and wholesale distribution fields.
Al
spent 20 years with one of the world's largest manufacturers
of high-speed packaging machinery. With operations in both
the U.S. and England this company supplied equipment to most
major producers of food and consumer disposable products around
the globe.
In
1988 Al participated in the leveraged buyout of this business,
working extensively with lenders and attorneys throughout
due diligence and closing process. As a principal and executive
he was integral in the strategic planning and management that
led to the company's subsequent turnaround and significant
growth. In addition to extensive experience in sales, he held
senior executive positions in marketing and also in operations
with responsibilities for engineering, purchasing and manufacturing.
Looking
for new challenges, Al started a new business in the mid 90's
to process and supply a new building material concept targeted
at homebuilders in the Atlanta market. With no prior industry
experience he began with a raw piece of property, built a
30,000 square foot manufacturing facility, organized a network
of select distributors and developed a market for these new
value added products. He successfully grew the business, selling
high quality products in a very cost sensitive environment,
while dominating his market niche despite the entry of other
large, well-established material suppliers. He sold this business
in the fall of 2003.
Having
participated in the acquisition, or startup, and subsequent
sale of two businesses, Al understands the complexities and
challenges of business ownership.
Childs
Company
Client Spotlight
Upshaw
Financial Assoc.
Atlanta, GA
Upshaw
Financial Associates is a boutique residential mortgage brokerage
firm. Founded in 1998, Upshaw Financial has already established
itself as one of the leading providers of residential mortgage
services in the north metropolitan Atlanta market.
Upshaw
retained Childs Company in order to develop a growth strategy
which would be less reliant on the personal production of
its owners. In addition, Childs Company helped the company
forge a unique business partnership with a residential real
estate company which provides outstanding growth opportunities.
(read
more)
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In
their book "Built to Last", Jim Collins and Jerry
Porras performed extensive research and shattered the myth
that it takes a great idea to start a great company. Collins
and Porras liken having a great idea to "time telling"
while building a company that can prosper through multiple
product or service life cycles is referred to as "clock
building". Through their research, Collins and Porras
concluded that great, visionary companies tend to be clock
builders and not time tellers. Many of today's great companies
including Hewlett Packard, Sony and Walmart all started without
any specific, great idea.
Even
if the business owner does not contemplate exiting the company
for many years, it's never too early to begin outlining the
elements of an exit strategy. 
Components
of an estate plan include a will, the granting of power of
attorney and a living will. It also may include life insurance
and planning for charitable gifts.
4.0% / 5.0%
1.5% from last year