MOVER OF THE WEEK

Turnaround Firm Loughlin Meghji
Hires Krupar To Aid Strong Clients

By Eric Morath
Loughlin Meghji + Co. recently hired John Krupar to help the restructuring consulting firm expand into a new area: growing companies.

The New York firm has long helped struggling businesses turn around their operations. Now Krupar, the new leader of the Loughlin Meghji’s Performance Improvement Practice, is charged with applying the techniques used for rescuing failing companies to stronger businesses.

“We are going to apply the same capabilities we’ve used for a long time, but apply them to healthier clients - those who have a little more time,” Krupar said.

Krupar, a veteran of consulting firm Oliver Wyman, said the concept for the performance- improvement group came from Loughlin Meghji’s “alumni” clients. Those companies, which Loughlin Meghji previously helped restructure, sought out the firm to help them grow their now stable businesses.

He said all companies, not just those in distress, can benefit from cutting costs and improving efficiency.

“The best companies are always looking for continuous improvement,”

Krupar said. Running a more efficient shop not only means a company is better be able to withstand a downturn, but increased profits also “can provide a source of ongoing funding that can be applied to sexier ventures,” such as research and development, expansions, and marketing, he said. As credit markets remain tight, Krupar said the “old-fashioned” way of doing business is growing in importance.

For example, Krupar said if Loughlin Meghji can help a client cut a division’s costs by $15 million while generating the same level of revenue, it frees up $15 million to invest without having to go to the bank.

“Financial engineering comes and goes,” he said. “A solid company that continually improves is timeless.”

Krupar intends to provide services to a wide range of clients. He himself has worked for companies ranging in size from Citigroup Inc. to local AAA clubs. He has spent the majority of his career working in the manufacturing, transportation and financial services sectors.

Prior to joining the business world, Krupar was a U.S. Army captain who oversaw a tank company based in Korea. The 1985 West Point graduate said his 13 months overseas taught him about working as a team.

“People always assume the military focuses on a hierarchical command structure,” he said. “But when you get into a tank platoon it’s a huge teaming environment where people bring different skills to the mission.”

When he’s not working, Krupar said, he spends time exploring his new neighborhood. He recently relocated to New York from Arizona.

With his son about to graduate from college, Krupar said he and his wife are enjoying life as empty nesters discovering how little they knew “about all the nooks and crannies” of the city’s Upper East Side.