Kermit Black & Associates

Introduction: We are specializing in strategy, doing the following for our clients: o Analyze client objectives and develop strategies to accomplish them. o Assist C-level and other management clients on crucial issues. o Mentor IT and manufacturing client-facing executives to sell to C-level officers and to negotiate with them. o Restructure organizations. o Evaluate energy companies for purchase. o Negotiate the purchase and sale of energy companies. The following are some examples: o Helped private investors prepare their strategy for purchasing and transforming an oil and gas exploration and production company holding $1 billion of reserves in the US Gulf of Mexico. Purchase price $700 million, with a further $1 billion planned to develop assets. Represented the investors to founders of the company in negotiations for purchase. o Developed energy capital facilities strategies, including raw materials, product slates and markets, transportation plans for raw materials and products, processing strategies and storage strategies for raw materials and products. o Used a proprietary linear programming model of integrated oil refineries and petrochemical plants to determine the optimal operation and expansion of those facilities, and sold the software to such companies, both US and international. o Guided the restructuring of a firm and transformed its operations from annual losses to annual profits in two years, allowing executives to successfully purchase the firm from a venture capital company. Led in selling the required changes to the firm's junior executives. o Directed development of investment and operating plans for expansions/construction of existing and grassroots oil refining and petrochemical facilities each year amounting to $15 billion in capital. o A petroleum refiner had not paid a $1 billion unsecured crude oil debt to our client. On behalf of our client, we analyzed the refiner's alternatives for feedstocks, products, capital facilities and transportation, the oil supplier. We told the client that the refiner had no possible way of repaying its debt from operational earnings. Client considered our analysis very carefully and wrote off the debt -- a hard decision with serious consequences. o Restructured an unprofitable European division of a U.S. based energy consulting firm. It was based in London with extensive business development travel throughout Europe and the Middle East. o Based on our advice and our tailored world market survey, our client (a major manufacturer) decided not to build a large high-pressure steel vessel fabrication plant for heavy fuel oil desulfuization facilities for oil refineries and avoided an expensive failed investment. o Managed teams serving as owners' project managers overseeing engineering and construction contractors building large petroleum and petrochemical processing projects worldwide.