I’ve appraised a number of walnut processing faculties in the past few years, some for California Section 2000 shareholder disputes, others for IRS gift and estate tax, and one outcome has been consistent: the value of walnut processing equipment is not what it was. These current low values are mostly due to two intertwined factors:…Read More
Appraisal Review Rebuttal Report for Business Litigation: Shareholder Dispute
In business litigation, accurate machinery and equipment valuations supported by evidence and logic are crucial, particularly in cases involving complex shareholder disputes over machinery, equipment, or other business assets. Whether for partnership disputes or buyouts, equipment valuations are expected to provide information needed to determine fair financial outcomes. In many cases, however, machinery and equipment…Read More
Spray Dry Technology: Atomizers and Evaporators
We regularly appraise food processing plants, and one constant is that they are all fascinating. From the basics of rice and almond processing, the specialty equipment of row-crop packaging and winemaking, to the intricacies of legacy facilities, I remain amazed by the technology. When I was hired by a CPA to appraise his client’s evaporation…Read More
Throwback Thursday: Campbell’s Sacramento Legacy
In 2014, I walked into the old Campbell’s Soup plant in south Sacramento with a camera, clipboard, a pad of paper, a limited asset list, and noted appraiser Bob Podwalny. Our assignment was a retrospective 2013 property tax appraisal. Comstock’s article about the facility’s redevelopment references the plant as one of the “oldest and most…Read More
Case Study: Purchase Price Allocation for a Legacy Food Processing Facility
In an equipment appraisal for financial reporting purposes, the initial rough numbers were almost twice the purchase price. Because the enterprise had been on the market for a number of years and the purchase was an arm’s length transaction, that big difference between the preliminary calculation and the purchase price didn’t make sense … until…Read More