Executive Sounding Board Associates Inc. (ESBA) recently received two awards, including the prestigious Turnaround Professional of the Year Award which was presented to Managing Director Robert D. Katz, at the 2013 M&A Advisors Turnaround Awards.

In addition, the firm was selected as the recipient of the Deal of the Year Award for its role in the financial restructuring and recapitalization of Lower Bucks Hospital. The awards were presented at The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida on March 6th.

“I am honored and humbled to be selected as the turnaround consultant of the year, as well as recognized for our role in the Lower Bucks Hospital transaction,” said Robert D. Katz, ESBA Managing Director. “These awards would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our entire staff and other professionals in the Lower Bucks Hospital case.”

Other professionals who worked on the transaction include:

• Jeffrey C. Hampton, Adam H. Isenberg, Robyn F. Pollack, Monique A. Bair and Melissa W. Rand of Saul Ewing LLP, counsel to Lower Bucks Hospital;
• J. Scott Victor, Matthew Karlson, Terry Kohler and Nicholas Coder, investment banker to Lower Bucks Hospital;
• Regina Stango Kelbon and Josef W. Mintz of Blank Rome LLP, counsel to the Unsecured Creditors Committee;
• Richard S. Infantino, Daniel S. Polsky and John Auyeung of Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, LLP, financial advisor to the Unsecured Creditors Committee;
• Stephanie Wickouski, Christine Cesare and Thomas J. Schell of Bryan Cave, counsel to the Indenture Trustee; and
• Michael E. Imber and Chuck Salvo of Grant Thorton LLP, financial advisor to the Indenture Trustee

“The depth of our expertise, longevity in the market and favorable reputation enable us to serve a range of clients, from middle-market to Fortune 500 companies, both private and public," said Martin I. Katz, ESBA founder and president.

“Being selected from such a distinguished group of professionals and successful transactions is a great source of pride,” Katz added.

The M&A Advisor Turnaround Awards Gala honors the leading deal-teams, firms and deal-makers whose activities set the standard for turnaround, reorganization and restructuring transactions. This year, 120 nominees, representing over 300 companies, were finalists for the awards.

For more than 35 years, Executive Sounding Board Associates has worked with U.S. and international middle market companies experiencing financial or operational challenges as well as lenders and law firms in these sectors. Over 1,100 public and privately-held companies have benefited from ESBA’s partnering approach to restoring value for its clients while restoring confidence with the clients’ stakeholders including attorneys, investors, lenders, debtors and creditors.