Service Offerings
- Debt and Equity Sourcing, Evaluation and Placement
- M&A - Buy/Sell Side
- Sale/Leaseback Transactions
- Restructuring & Strategic Advisory
- CFO/CRO/Receiver
- Project Analytics
Why Partner With Us?
- Relationship-Driven Mindset
- Delivering Results Through Independent Thinking and Extensive Research
- Consulted on Hundreds of Transactions
Representative Transactions
Multiple Engagements
Multiple Engagements
Multiple Engagements
Wilkinson Holdings & Mgmt.,
25 Locations
Buy and Sell Side Advisory,
Sale/Leaseback Advisory,
and Related Financings
Multiple Engagements
Multiple Engagements
Multiple Engagements
Gronbach Food Systems,
7 Locations
Sell Side Advisory,
CFO Advisory,
and Multiple Financings
Interim CFO
Multiple Engagements
Interim CFO
Mars Retail Group,
25 Locations/2 Concepts
CFO/Restructuring Advisory
for Retail Outlets
and Manufacturing Operation
Our Transaction Team
Alex Blanton, Managing Partner
Alex is a veteran finance professional, adept at all aspects of middle market investment banking projects for restaurant, retail and manufacturing businesses with up to $500M in sales. He has a 20+ year record of consistent success across corporate and entrepreneurial engagements, working side by side with C-suite level executive clients that include Fortune 500 companies, private equity firms, franchisors and franchisees of all size and financial condition. He is a proficient closer who successfully leads all transactions within a company’s life cycle, including valuation, acquisition, capital formation, structuring and placement, refinancing, financial and operational restructuring, and sale/leaseback agreements and divestiture.
Prior to forming AB Advisory & Analytics LLC, Alex co-founded and led finance related engagements at Peak Franchise Capital, LLC from 2006 to 2018. He served as a Director at Burger King Corporation from 2003 – 2006, where he led the successful financial & operational restructuring of two dozen franchisees of 5-100 restaurants. From 1999 to 2002, Alex served in analytical roles in the YUM! Brands refranchising program
Alex graduated Cum Laude from Texas Christian University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and holds a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship from the University of Texas at Austin.
Guillermo Saldana, Senior Associate
Guillermo is an experienced finance professional who has a breadth of experience working with equity sponsors, franchisors and clients with up to $500M in sales. He has assisted stakeholders on M&A transactions, capital raises, and due diligence. Additionally, he has advised franchisors such as Rubio’s Coastal Grill and Boston Market through their Chapter 11 process and out-of-court restructurings, helping them form and execute turnaround plans with the help of cash flow and liquidity management, field and corporate G&A improvements, vendor and lender negotiations and enhancement in restaurant level operations.
Prior to joining AB Advisory & Analytics, Guillermo served as Associate for Mackinac Partners and Senior Investment Banking Analyst for Peak Franchise Capital in Dallas.
Guillermo graduated Cum Laude from Texas Christian University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and a Bachelor of Science in Economics. He is a Certified Insolvency and Restructuring Advisor (CIRA) and a member of the Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors and the Turnaround Management Association.
Client Testimonials
"I've worked with Alex for the past seven years and he's helped me on multiple complicated financial projects. I'd describe him as a great financial professional that will add value to any small or medium sized business."
-Paul G.
"Alex was our "go to" outsourced finance resource at Sonic while I was there and successfully handled dozens of challenging projects. After I began working for one of Sonic's largest franchisees, we continued to work with Alex and have always found him to be very creative and professional."
-Pam W.
"Alex created a very collaborative and trusting environment between all parties (including the franchisor, landlords, and all banks) and ensured beyond the call of duty that the transaction would close smoothly."
-Bob and Sally Y.
"Alex literally saved our business from having to file bankruptcy and us having to lay off hundreds of employees and liquidate. He secured financing, franchisor concessions, and helped us work through store closures where necessary to help create value. Amazing value added."
-Roger K.
"Alex was able to manage through multiple difficult projects- in this case several franchisee restructures- at once and triage the issue within days so that we could stabilize and figure out next steps."
-Annette B.