Beilstein is currently the Founder and Managing Partner of The Beilstein Group, LLC a financial and operational advisory firm. In his most recent assignment, he was engaged as the Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of CraftWorks Restaurants and Breweries, a Centerbridge Partners investment company. This engagement resulted in the merger of CraftWorks with Logan’s Roadhouse thereby creating one of the largest casual dining companies in the country. He also served as an advisor to the CEO and CFO of City Barbeque, a Freeman Spogli investment company.  Prior to these engagements he was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of ACG Pizza Partners which at the time was controlled by Argonne Capital and subsequently sold. In addition, he also served as Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer for the primary operating investment of Equicorp Partners, LLC, Goldco, LLC, a 110-unit Burger King Franchisee headquartered in the Southeast and subsequently sold to a private equity firm.

 

Beilstein also served as a Director, President and Chief Executive Officer of Townsends, Inc., a $500 million in sales, 3,000 employee poultry processing company headquartered in Delaware. He was asked by its lenders to join the Board and to assume the Chief Executive Officer position. He then spearheaded the efforts to sell the company, achieving an enterprise value much higher than that anticipated because of the difficult industry environment caused by extremely high domestic grain costs.

 

He is also the former Chief Financial officer of AFC Enterprises, the predecessor of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc., one of the world’s premier restaurant companies. At the request of the Board, he returned to AFC in March 2007 to serve as Chief Executive Officer until the appointment of a permanent CEO in November 2007.

 

As Chief Financial Officer, Beilstein oversaw the Company’s financial matters and was responsible for determining and implementing the most effective strategies for AFC to leverage its financial flexibility and maximize shareholder value. These strategies included a significant refinancing, the sale of all but one of the operating companies, and the payment of a one-time dividend to shareholders made possible by the cash generated through the restructuring of the company.

 

Beilstein joined AFC with considerable financial and transaction related experience, having first been the CFO of Days Inn of America, where he was instrumental to the company’s initial public stock offering, private debt placements and public debt offerings. At Days Inn Beilstein was also President and CEO of the principal operating company responsible for the management of the company’s owned and operated hotel portfolio which included on site restaurants. Following that responsibility, Blackstone Capital Partners, L.P. recruited Beilstein to critically evaluate Edgcomb Metals Company where he served as CFO and eventually spearheaded the sale of the business to Usinor Sacilor, a French steel company. Beilstein then became Treasurer and CFO of The Actava Group Inc. (formerly Fuqua Industries, Inc.), a diversified holding company with interests in the manufacturing and service industries, where he drove the company’s acquisition and divestiture related activities. He then became President and COO of the ERA Real Estate Division of Cendant Corporation assuming management responsibility of ERA that included the oversight of franchise support and sales initiatives. Beilstein was then recruited by Kelso & Company to become CFO of URS Logistics. His focus was to strategically sell the business to Vornado Realty Trust and Crescent Real Estate Equities, and then to combine the business with Americold Corporation, a second acquired business by Vornado and Crescent.  He then orchestrated two strategic add on acquisitions thus forming at that time the largest refrigerated warehouse/logistics company in North America.

 

Prior to joining AFC, Beilstein founded The Beilstein Group, LLC and concentrated on advising companies on strategic issues such as refinancing and recapitalization. One of his clients included Americold Logistics, LLC. Beilstein holds a Bachelor of Commercial Science degree in accounting from Benjamin Franklin University, now part of George Washington University and is a Certified Public Accountant.