The Berry Company Names Post-Emergence Interim President and CEO

DENVER, Oct. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Berry Company LLC, a leading provider of local search solutions, announced that John S. Fischer, currently the company's General Counsel and Secretary, will be appointed as the Company's Interim President and CEO upon the company's emergence from Chapter 11.  At emergence, Mr. Fischer will replace current Interim President and CEO Scott Brubaker, who is a Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal.  Mr. Fischer will also serve as a member of the reorganized company's Board of Directors.  

"John's tenure with Berry, his relationships inside and outside of the company, and his understanding of the evolving dynamics of the local search industry make him ideal for this role," said Mr. Brubaker.  "This appointment will provide the company with strong continuity of leadership at emergence, which we expect by the end of November."

Mr. Fischer has served as Local Insight Media's General Counsel and Secretary since June 2006.  In addition to providing legal counsel for all the company's transactions and major business dealings, he has provided business advice and decision-making as part of the company's Executive Leadership team.  Prior to joining the company, Mr. Fischer was Deputy General Counsel at Dex Media, where he focused on securities, commercial and transactional matters, including Dex Media's $9.5 billion merger with R.H. Donnelley Corporation.  His experience also includes serving as Managing Partner, Telecoms, of Logica Consulting, a European management consultancy.  He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Stanford University and holds JD and MBA degrees from the University of California at Los Angeles.

The company also announced the appointment of Richard G. Halle as the company's new Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Halle has more than 20 years of diverse financial management experience in the financial services sector and with other industries.  Mr. Halle replaces Richard Jenkins, also from Alvarez & Marsal, who served as the company's Interim Chief Financial Officer for the past two years.

"Richard Halle is a highly talented and experienced leader, with a unique combination of financial and business experience," said Mr. Brubaker. "He has an impressive track record working in all aspects of finance – including planning, forecasting, budgeting, accounting and reporting –  and will play a pivotal role on our senior executive team as we emerge from bankruptcy protection." 

Mr. Halle is the former Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of the Board of DTN Holding Company in Omaha, Nebraska, a business he joined as it was going through bankruptcy. After that company's emergence, he spearheaded a successful transformation targeted at increasing revenue and operating profits, and played a key leadership role in enhancing product lines, strengthening value positions, and developing internal mechanisms to respond quickly to market demands and trends. Prior to joining DTN, Mr. Halle was a Managing Director at FTI Consulting, Inc. in Denver, Colorado, where he specialized in analyzing company liquidity, evaluating competition and industry trends, and developing restructuring and sale strategies and proposals.  He holds BA and MBA degrees from the University of New Hampshire.  

Berry has also announced that Mark J. Lane has been appointed Interim Senior Vice President, Client Services, replacing Kevin Payne, who recently left the business to pursue other opportunities. Mr. Lane has 25 years of sales experience with Berry supporting its independent line of business.  Prior to this position, he served in a variety of leadership and management positions within the company, including Regional Vice President, General Manager, Senior Director of Telco Relations and Regional Director. Mr. Lane holds a degree in Business Administration from Miami University of Ohio.

About The Berry Company

The Berry Company LLC is a leading provider of local search solutions, generating leads for its advertising clients and enabling consumers to efficiently find the products and services they need.  The Berry Company serves approximately 200,000 advertising clients in 41 states, publishing approximately 750 print Yellow Pages directories on behalf of approximately 100 telco and other customers.  As an authorized reseller of YP.com™ in all of its markets, The Berry Company provides its clients with online listings and video advertising through this leading national Internet Yellow Pages site.  The Berry Company also provides small and medium-sized businesses with website development and search engine marketing services, and is a Google™ Qualified Company.

SOURCE The Berry Company LLC