Kern Gillette

Kern Gillette joins Revitalization Partners with nearly a decade as an advisor to distressed situations and 30 years’ experience as an operating and C- Suite executive, CFO and CEO.

Before forming Gillette Northwest, which merged into Revitalization Partners, Mr. Gillette was Senior Director with Alvarez & Marsal North American Commercial Restructuring practice. Prior to A&M, Kern was Principal with Scouler & Company, where he served distressed companies, lenders and creditors across the country.

Mr. Gillette has broad and deep experience as an operating executive. Positions include President and CEO of Cinnabon, Molbak’s and Graces Kitchen. He was CFO of Reese Brothers, Cinnabon, Grace’s Kitchen, and Olympic Boat Centers. As President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Cinnabon, Inc., the national food retailer and franchisor, Mr. Gillette designed and executed a successful turnaround. As Chief Executive Officer of Molbak’s, a regional specialty retailer, he executed a successful creditor composition plan and led the company through reorganization. As Chief Financial Officer of Olympic Boat Centers, he guided the company through the bankruptcy process. Mr. Gillette also served as Vice President of Finance and Administration at Brown and Cole, a $300 million grocery retailer, where he was responsible for accounting, cash management, risk management, information technology, loss prevention and facility management.

His work has spanned a variety of industries, including food processing, multi-unit retail including restaurants, technology, manufacturing, franchise, retail and wholesale distribution, seafood catching and processing, lumber and specialty building products, financial and professional services, aerospace, real estate and construction, and alternative energy. He has direct experience with a wide variety of capital structures including family owned, private equity, ESOP, public, and cooperative.

Mr. Gillette served as Financial Advisor for Hot Dog on a Stick, a quick service food retailer, returning over 100 cents on the dollar to creditors and over $5 million to equity, earning M&A Advisor Transaction of the Year award; Beall Corp., a tank and trailer designer and manufacturer, and Qualteq, Inc., a direct mail marketer. Recently he represented lenders interests in a large vertically integrated seafood company transaction, monitoring operational performance and cash management for many months prior to the sale of the entity. Among his many previous engagements, he was Financial Advisor to Contessa Premium Foods, Inc., a frozen foods packaging and distribution company, returning full value to creditors and winning the Transaction of the Year award from the Turnaround Management Association; and Universal Building Products, Inc., a manufacturer and supplier of concrete forms and accessories.

Mr. Gillette earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Washington and an MBA from Eastern Washington University. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.