Click here for Mr. Reed’s Obituary
Frederick R. "Fritz" Reed joined DSI’s Columbus office in 2000, and is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel. He attained significant experience in the business of workout, turnaround, and insolvency through a 27-year career as an insolvency attorney and as a businessman. He is currently a member of the Board and of the Audit and Nominating & Governance Committees of ABX Air, Inc. He practiced law with the law firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease and was the senior member of its insolvency section representing lenders, debtors, trustees, committees, and consultants in numerous and varied bankruptcy and insolvency related matters. A member of the board of directors of Wendy’s International, Inc. between 1995 and 2000, he left the private practice of law in September of 1996 to join the senior management team at Wendy’s.
From September of 1996 through April of 2000, Mr. Reed held various titles and responsibilities at Wendy’s International. From 1996 through April of 1997, he was Executive Vice President for Finance, becoming Chief Financial Officer in April of 1997 and continuing in that position through April of 2000. From 1996 through August 1999, he served as General Counsel and continued to supervise the Legal Department thereafter. In those capacities, he had supervisory responsibilities for the treasury, legal, government affairs, investor relations, and internal audit functions at Wendy’s. In addition, he had significant supervisory responsibilities relating to international matters.
As a partner at the Vorys law firm, which included five years as managing partner of its Cincinnati, Ohio office, his practice focused on insolvency, working capital lending, and structured financing. He represented lender groups, members of lender groups, buyers, sellers, and management groups in a large variety of commercial and insolvency related transactions. From the mid-1980’s through the present, he has also concentrated on matters relating to franchise disputes and insolvencies.
He received his B.A. from Harvard University in 1970 and his J.D. from the Ohio State University in 1973, where he was editor in chief of the Ohio State Law Journal. He is a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, and a director of the TriState Association for Corporate Renewal, an independent turnaround management association serving the tri-state area of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. He has been an adjunct professor teaching Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code at The Ohio State University College of Law and has served as an advisory board member of the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review in cooperation with St. John’s University.
