About Us
Who We Are
We are small business advocates who help distressed companies navigate today's difficult economic challenges.
What We Do
We make businesses’ choices clearer by understanding their financial situation, measuring recovery potential, and guiding them through options across the spectrum, from business restructuring and turnaround to reorganization or bankruptcy.
In addition to helping our clients find creative solutions to immediate cash flow, debt, and other financial issues, our consultants work closely with our clients to put in place key financial and operational systems, process, and frameworks to set them up for success into the future.
How We Do It
The problem with traditional services firms is that companies need the most help when they are least able to afford it. The more problems, the more time, and the more legal, accounting, or other professional fees stack up. As both business owners and experienced professionals, we have seen the system break down over and over. This is why we have a variety of options to help make our services more affordable given the timing and circumstances. Instead of sitting across the table and giving anecdotal advice for a fee, we structure our fees to align incentives, come to the same side of the table as our clients, roll up our sleeves, and get to work. Call today to learn more how we do it for you.
Meet Our Team
Nicholas T. Van Vleet
With an MBA from the W.P. Carey School of Business and JD from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, Nick is passionate about using his knowledge of both business and law to support clients, particularly when they may find themselves in difficult circumstances. He has 12 years of experience in bankruptcy, personal injury, commercial real estate, and corporate transactional law. His education and active participation in the community have resulted in a broad understanding of the challenges that businesses of all sizes face. No matter the task, he is eager to provide individualized guidance and support. Nick is fluent in English and Spanish.
Erik Pfeiffer
Erik has spent his career as a management consultant and specializes in helping companies optimize operations, enhance capabilities of their personnel, develop strategic plans, and implement effective systems and tools. He works closely with client leadership to understand more clearly who their target customer is, how to connect with their customer, and how to align organizational processes to improve overall customer experience. Erik earned his MBA from the Marriott School of Management and has a proven track record of helping clients increase revenue, outperform sales expectations, and improve employee hiring, training and retention.
Emily Egbert Stubbs
Emily brings a broad legal perspective and has combined her deep experience in corporate and employment law, commercial litigation, and inhouse c-suite management to not only help companies avoid legal pitfalls but navigate a wide array of difficult circumstances. She has a successful track record in helping businesses shore up their back offices, employee structures, and operational processes and bring stabilization and growth. Prior to co-founding DSS in 2019, she was an attorney at Stoel Rives, a regional firm based in Portland, for 12 years and graduated cum laude from J. Reuben Clark School of Law.
Nancy Cailleteau Mills
With over 15 years of global business experience and an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, Nancy helps companies navigate difficult conditions and specializes in increasing net revenues by implementation of strategic marketing, consumer insights, and market research techniques. She brings well-rounded experience with every facet of marketing -- strategy, execution, advertising, and data analytics -- and both traditional and digital media. She has led global teams, hired and trained marketers, and created positive results across many industries, including consumer products. healthcare, energy, government, specialty raw materials, and industrial equipment.
Andrew Stubbs
In his more than 15 years of experience in finance and accounting, Andrew has worked in high visibility interim CFO and controller roles for VC, early growth, and PE funded businesses across the country, in a wide array of industries from hospitals, doctor specialty groups, dental labs and DSOs, to special needs clinics and charter schools, to HVAC and plumbing. Andrew combines his experience from large firms, Alvarez & Marsal and Ernst & Young, with the practical application of his own business ventures to help small to medium businesses thrive. Andrew earned his MBA in finance from University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business School and Masters in Accounting from BYU.