Butler Lumber Case Study
The maximum loan that the Butler Lumber Company (BLC) could obtain from Suburban National was $250,000 in which his property would be used to secure the loan. Northrop National Bank offered BLC a line of credit of up to $465,000. BLC would have to sever ties with Suburban
National if they were to have this LOC extended to them.
As Mr. Butlers financial advisor, I would advise him to take the loan in an attempt to grow the business. One alarming fact about his business is the lack of a sales staff, yet the revenue has been able to grow at a fast pace; 18% in 1989, 34% in 1990, 19% in 1991. By adding another an experienced salesman that is working for a base salary plus commission, they can grow the revenues even more. By having this person work on commission, this will eat into the profit margin for the materials he is selling. But the net impact to the BLC will be positive. I would advise Mr. Butler to select the LOC for up to $465,000 because he can take out as little as he needs. He does not need all $465,000 this quarter, but he may need some in the first and last quarters of the year because he obtains 55% of his revenues in the second and third quarters. So it is strategically important for him to have access to this capital because of the nature of his cyclical business.
As a banker, I would not grant BLC a LOC for $465,000. This is too much for a company this size, and with such little equity. The bank is too aggressive with its forecast that BLC will have revenues of $3.6 million in 1991. I believe I am aggressive in forecasting they will have $3.2 million in revenue in 1991, $400,000 less than what the bank forecasted. I came up with $3.2m by taking the 1st quarter revenue of $718,000 which is historically approximately 22.5% of the yearly revenue. Assuming this holds true again in 1991, the annual revenue in 1991 will be around $3.2m. This is a 19% year over year increase in revenue for BLC,
National if they were to have this LOC extended to them.
As Mr. Butlers financial advisor, I would advise him to take the loan in an attempt to grow the business. One alarming fact about his business is the lack of a sales staff, yet the revenue has been able to grow at a fast pace; 18% in 1989, 34% in 1990, 19% in 1991. By adding another an experienced salesman that is working for a base salary plus commission, they can grow the revenues even more. By having this person work on commission, this will eat into the profit margin for the materials he is selling. But the net impact to the BLC will be positive. I would advise Mr. Butler to select the LOC for up to $465,000 because he can take out as little as he needs. He does not need all $465,000 this quarter, but he may need some in the first and last quarters of the year because he obtains 55% of his revenues in the second and third quarters. So it is strategically important for him to have access to this capital because of the nature of his cyclical business.
As a banker, I would not grant BLC a LOC for $465,000. This is too much for a company this size, and with such little equity. The bank is too aggressive with its forecast that BLC will have revenues of $3.6 million in 1991. I believe I am aggressive in forecasting they will have $3.2 million in revenue in 1991, $400,000 less than what the bank forecasted. I came up with $3.2m by taking the 1st quarter revenue of $718,000 which is historically approximately 22.5% of the yearly revenue. Assuming this holds true again in 1991, the annual revenue in 1991 will be around $3.2m. This is a 19% year over year increase in revenue for BLC,