Turnaround has a formula. We wrote it in 1991.
Since 1991, JL White International has turned around companies the same way: deploy the Circle of Success, take ownership of execution, and measure everything in shareholder returns.
Practical Consulting.
Real-World Experience.
JL White International is a management consulting firm founded by Dr. Jim White — an industrialist, executive leader, Vietnam Army combat veteran, and philanthropist with more than 50 years of operating experience across industries and markets.
Our work is grounded in a simple conviction: organizations don’t improve by accident. They improve when leaders have the clarity to identify what matters, the discipline to act on it, and the accountability to follow through.
Dr. White has bought, expanded, and sold 23 companies operating internationally, worked with executives, entrepreneurs, government leaders, and trade associations across 44 countries, and his leadership programs have reached more than 100,000 participants worldwide. He brings that operating depth — not theory — to every engagement.
Management Consulting for Growth, Transition, and Performance Improvemen
JL White International works with organizations facing complex challenges. Our approach is practical, hands-on, and focused on execution — helping leaders make better decisions, align teams, and improve results.
Turnaround & Performance Improvement
When an organization is underperforming, time matters. We help leaders diagnose root causes, prioritize corrective action, restore accountability, and build momentum toward recovery and sustainable growth.
Merger & Acquisition Advisory
We advise leaders through the critical decisions surrounding mergers and acquisitions — assessing strategic and operational fit, identifying risk, and preparing organizations for integration and long-term value creation
Succession Planning
Leadership transitions are among the most important moments in the life of any business. We help business owners and leadership teams identify key roles, assess readiness, and build succession plans that protect continuity and long-term stability.
Strategic Planning
A strategic plan should do more than describe aspirations — it should create focus, guide priorities, and support measurable progress. We help leadership teams define where they are going, set meaningful goals, and translate strategy into action throughout the organization.
One Proven Framework
The Circle of Success® is the proven management and leadership development framework at the core of JL White International’s consulting work.
Developed by Dr. Jim White over decades of hands-on operating experience, COS® is a structured, year-long process that addresses every dimension of organizational performance — from vision, mission, and values to planning, accountability, staffing, communications, and results.
This is not a training program. It is a comprehensive operating framework that gives companies and their people a disciplined path to perform at their highest level. When you engage JL White International, the Circle of Success® is the methodology behind the work.
Our Approach
JL White International does not offer theory for theory’s sake. Our approach is practical, direct, and results-oriented.
We begin with clarity: What is the vision? What is the mission? What values guide the organization? What is working? What is not? What must change?
From there, we help leaders create structure, set priorities, align people, communicate expectations, and execute with accountability. The goal is not simply to inspire change — it is to help leaders build the discipline, systems, and behaviors required to sustain it.
Our approach is built around five core principles:
Purpose
People perform better when they understand why their work matters and how it connects to a larger goal.
Clarity
Leaders need a clear vision, a defined mission, and shared values that guide decisions and behavior.
Accountability
Progress requires honest feedback, measurable goals, disciplined follow-through, and responsibility at every level.
Practical Execution
Strategy only matters when it becomes action. We help leaders translate ideas into plans, priorities, and results.
Excellence
Excellence is not a slogan. It is a standard practiced through leadership, communication, service, integrity, and continuous improvement.
Who We Serve
JL White International works with people and organizations that are ready to grow, change, and lead at a higher level — including:
- Business owners and CEOs
- Executive and management teams
- Entrepreneurs
- Corporate leaders
- Government and trade association leaders
- Organizations navigating growth, transition, underperformance, or succession
- Individuals seeking greater purpose, discipline, and personal achievement
The company’s programs and consulting services are designed for leaders who want practical guidance, honest assessment, and a clear path toward better results.
Case Studies
Dr. White’s consulting and operating work spans decades, industries, and markets. The results below reflect what happens when strong leadership, clear strategy, and disciplined execution come together.
Sector: Post-Harvest Cold Chain Operations — Central Coast Cooling, Salinas Valley, CA
Challenge: Backstory, 2014–2016 — a 1936-legacy pre-cooling operator with revenue plateaued near $12.3M/year and EBITDA margins near 1.8%, earnings power locked inside an aging, capacity-constrained asset.
Approach: Following three months of due diligence — kicked off with the first Circle of Success® offsite on October 28, 2016 — Jim White assumed leadership as President & CEO on January 12, 2017, marking the start of the turnaround. He installed bi-weekly Goal & Control reviews, cost discipline, and leadership accountability, rebuilding cost structure, throughput, and pricing around operational excellence.
Results (turnaround period, 2017–2025):
- Revenue grew 5.3x, from $36.8M (2014–16 backstory) to $194.8M (2017–25) — averaging $21.6M/yr, +77%
- Adjusted EBITDA rose 25x, from $230K/yr to $5.82M/yr average
- Weighted adjusted EBITDA margin of 26.9%, up from 1.8% pre-engagement — peaking near 33%
- $80.7M returned to shareholders — organically generated, no outside capital invested
- Mandate completed on schedule: exited at peak performance (29.9% margin) on December 31, 2025
Sector: Post-Harvest Infrastructure Platform — PHT (Post Harvest Technologies, Inc.), Multiple Operating Companies, Salinas Valley, CA
Challenge: In 2016, the platform’s pre-JLW baseline sat at $22.3M in revenue with a 16.0% EBITDA margin — a margin-pressured Ag operation with no repeatable management system across its operating companies.
Approach: Following an all-hands offsite with the platform’s operating companies on October 28, 2016, Jim White assumed leadership as CEO on January 12, 2017 with a mandate to turn around every company in the platform. The Circle of Success® — the same bi-weekly Goal & Control cadence — was applied entity by entity, team by team, for the next eight-plus years.
Results (consolidated, 2017–2025):
- $353.2M in consolidated revenue — averaging $39.2M/yr
- $91.9M in consolidated adjusted EBITDA — averaging $10.2M/yr, up from a $3.6M baseline
- Weighted adjusted EBITDA margin of 26.0%, up from 16.0% pre-engagement
- $80.7M returned to shareholders — an organic turnaround, not a capital-driven one
- $48.3M in asset-sale proceeds (2022–2023), ~$7.6M above appraisal
Where Does Your Company Stand?
Every result above traces back to the same operating system: the Circle of Success®, installed and run with the same discipline across leadership alignment, strategic clarity, execution, accountability, financial command, people development, and operating cadence. Score your own company against those seven disciplines and see exactly where the gap between plan and execution is costing you.
About Dr. Jim White
Dr. Jim White is the Founder and CEO of JL White International, LLC. He is an industrialist, philanthropist, author, speaker, Vietnam Army combat veteran, and experienced executive leader.
Over the course of his career, Dr. White has bought, expanded, and sold 23 companies operating internationally and has worked with executives, entrepreneurs, government leaders, trade associations, and management teams. His leadership programs and events have reached more than 100,000 participants worldwide.
Dr. White’s life and work reflect a belief that leadership is not only about business performance — it is also about character, courage, purpose, service, and the responsibility to help others succeed.
Read More
Dr. Jim White is Chairman and CEO of Post Harvest Technologies, Inc. and Founder and CEO of JL White International, LLC, and JL White Investments, LLC. He is also the Founder and CEO of PHT Investment Group and PHT Growth Fund, which are private equity impact investment platforms. All these companies are part of his larger group of companies that operate within the critical fresh produce post-harvest infrastructure space with a mission to ensure fresh produce and fruit get from field to table via a safe, secure supply chain.
Jim is the author of several acclaimed books, including Broken America: Ten Guiding Principles to Restore America and Opportunity Investing: How to Revitalize Urban and Rural Communities with Opportunity Funds. He also authored the best-selling What’s My Purpose? A Journey of Personal and Professional Growth, which has been lauded by industry leaders such as Steven M.R. Covey and Jack Canfield.
At age five, Jim found his entrepreneurial spirit when he launched his first business: collecting and selling Coke bottles to help support his impoverished family. From these humble beginnings, Jim volunteered to serve his country in the Vietnam War, where he completed two tours of active combat duty. He was injured, yet he went on to enter academia and the corporate world. He went from high school dropout to academic triumph, eventually earning a B.S. in Civil Engineering, an MBA, and a PhD in Psychology and Organizational Behavior.
Jim’s leadership and business acumen have earned him international recognition. He served as the CEO of Blount World Trade Corporation, owned and managed ACEC Centrifugal Pumps NV in Belgium, and was Vice President and Division Manager at Ingersoll Rand Equipment Corporation.
As part of his vision for leadership and mentorship, Jim founded the customized yearlong management and leadership transformation process, The Circle of Success; Jim White’s Classic Movie Series; and The Red Carpet Tour. These innovative events have attracted over 100,000 participants worldwide, including Fortune 500 CEOs, management teams, entrepreneurs, governments, and trade associations.
He has bought, expanded, and sold 23 companies operating in 44 countries throughout his career. Jim acquired failing businesses to revive and develop them into profitable enterprises using his proprietary business turnaround strategy. To date, he has generated more than $3 billion in revenue.
Is your organization facing transition, underperformance, or the need for stronger leadership and execution?
Contact us today to discuss your management consulting needs.
JL White International, LLC
Greenwich Office (HQ)
95 E Putnam Ave, Suite 201, Greenwich, CT 06830
Salinas Office
1124 Abbott Street, Salinas, California 93901