Larry Goddard, who developed SOAR to Strategic Excellence™, is president of The Parkland Group, Inc., a leading turnaround, performance improvement and interim management organization that he founded in 1989 in Cleveland, Ohio. With more than 30 years management and advisory experience, Larry has helped hundreds of organizations throughout North America make dramatic improvements in their performance and bottom line. His experience includes managing high-growth businesses, turnarounds, workout and interim management in manufacturing, distribution, retail, service, mining and construction. He has been qualified by the Bankruptcy Court as an expert witness in business turnarounds and valuations, and has been a court-appointed trustee.

From 1982 to 1990, Larry served as president and CEO of Waco International, a national manufacturer and distributor of construction equipment and supplies headquartered in Cleveland. He led Waco's acquisition of eight companies, growing revenues from $8 million to more than $100 million with annual profits exceeding $5 million. He also served as deputy chairman and a director of Wacos publicly traded parent company, Waco Kwikform Ltd.

Prior to joining Waco, Larry was a supervisor at Price Waterhouse in Canada and later founded Goddard Franklin Management Consultants, Inc. Born and educated in South Africa, he is a Canadian chartered accountant, a chartered business valuator and a certified turnaround professional.

Larry wrote Corporate Intensive Care: Why Businesses Fail and How To Make Them Succeed (1993). He co-authored The Turbocharged Company: Igniting Your Business to Soar Ahead of the Competition (1995) and Top-Down Vision and Bottom-Up Management (2002), which focuses on improving business value and success via collaborative management.

He serves on numerous advisory boards and is a member of the board of directors. He is a member of the board of Jumpstart, Inc. a nationally recognized venture development organization. He was a member of the board of directors, chairman of the Nominating & Governance Committee and a member of the Audit Committee of publicly traded Oglebay Norton Inc. until its sale in early 2008. He is a member of the World Presidents Organization and the Turnaround Management Association. As a recognized industry expert, he is frequently quoted in the media, including Wall Street Journal.