# Larry Nusbaum

> Larry Nusbaum is a consumer-products and retail turnaround executive who serves as President and Chief Marketing Officer of Work 'N Gear, the Mid-Atlantic and New England workwear, footwear and healthcare-apparel chain, and as an operating partner at Dark Alpha Capital. Over two decades he has run companies as CEO, CMO and COO across housewares, electronics, personal care, apparel and fitness, most visibly at Ronco, the Ron Popeil gadget brand he bought out of bankruptcy with Marlin Equity Partners in 2007 and steered from a reported $7.5 million annual loss to roughly $4 million in profit on about $30 million of 2009 sales. He has also led Midwest Trading Group, where he acquired the phone-accessory brand TYLT in December 2023, and restructured the artisan-goods company GlobeIn into a subscription model. At Work 'N Gear he took a 25-year-old, roughly $40 million retailer through a 2025 Chapter 11 filing, a DIP financing, a shrink from 38 stores to 26, and a April 2026 asset sale to a family-office-backed operator that repaid the lender in full and set up a relaunch of the e-commerce platform and up to ten stores.

- **Role:** President and Chief Marketing Officer at Work 'N Gear; Operating Partner at Dark Alpha Capital
- **Organizations:** Work 'N Gear, Dark Alpha Capital, Midwest Trading Group LLC, GlobeIn, Ronco, Vertex Capital Management, Bravo Sports, Zero Foxtrot, Omi Jewelry, TYLT, YPO, ACG (Association for Corporate Growth), TMA (Turnaround Management Association)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Reported in professional directory listings; degree and field not publicly confirmed, Emerson College
- **Known for:** Turned Ronco from a reported $7.5 million annual loss into roughly $4 million of profit on about $30 million in 2009 sales, roughly 63 percent topline growth, Named 'Turnaround Corporate Executive of the Year' by the M&A Advisor at its 4th Annual Turnaround Awards for the Ronco rescue, Acquired the Ronco brand out of Chapter 11 in 2007 in partnership with Marlin Equity Partners and relaunched it, restoring the Ron Popeil brand identity and direct-response TV engine

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Procter & Gamble trained, per his own LinkedIn headline describing him as a 'P&G trained' CEO/CMO/CRO and sales executive
- **2007** — Ronco filed Chapter 11 in June and was auctioned in bankruptcy court to Marlin Equity Partners for about $6.5 million; Nusbaum partnered with Marlin and relaunched the business that August as chief executive of 'The New Ronco,' based in Simi Valley, California
- **2008** — Returned as chairman, CEO and president of Ronco in April; rebuilt the direct-response television operation and expanded retail distribution into Walmart, Kohl's, Sears and Walgreens; reported over $1 million in operating profit for the year
- **2009** — Ronco reached roughly $30 million in sales and about $4 million in profit, reversing a reported $7.5 million annual loss and delivering roughly 63 percent topline growth
- **2010** — Interviewed on Bloomberg Television in November as a turnaround expert; referenced in Crain's New York Business coverage of restructuring and cost-cutting
- **c. 2011** — As COO of Vertex Capital Management, named 'Turnaround Corporate Executive of the Year' at the M&A Advisor's 4th Annual Turnaround Awards gala in Palm Beach, Florida, for the Ronco turnaround
- **Undated** — Chief Executive Officer of GlobeIn, which he restructured into a scalable subscription commerce model
- **Undated** — President and Chief Marketing Officer at Bravo Sports, per professional directory listings
- **2023** — As Chief Executive Officer of Midwest Trading Group, the Downers Grove, Illinois importer and distributor of consumer electronics, housewares, toys and health and wellness goods, announced the acquisition of phone-accessory brand TYLT on December 12
- **2025** — As President and CMO of Work 'N Gear, led the company into a Chapter 11 filing on July 16 in the District of New Jersey (case 25-17472) after a creditor swept its bank accounts; the chain then had roughly 35 stores across 11 states
- **2025** — On October 17, announced the closing of a debtor-in-possession financing facility with Black Feather Capital, LLC, replacing the prior lender and funding a court-supervised restructuring; footprint reduced from 38 stores to 26 performing locations
- **2026** — The case converted to a liquidation plan in February; stores and the Avon, Massachusetts distribution centre closed and staff were released
- **2026** — On April 7, announced that Work 'N Gear's assets had been acquired by a family-office-backed operator, that DIP lender Baaj Capital had been fully repaid and exited, and that the company planned to relaunch e-commerce and reopen up to ten stores across Long Island, New Jersey and Pennsylvania
- **Current** — Operating Partner / Operating Member at Dark Alpha Capital LLC, an independent sponsor based in Dover, Delaware

## Achievements

- Turned Ronco from a reported $7.5 million annual loss into roughly $4 million of profit on about $30 million in 2009 sales, roughly 63 percent topline growth
- Named 'Turnaround Corporate Executive of the Year' by the M&A Advisor at its 4th Annual Turnaround Awards for the Ronco rescue
- Acquired the Ronco brand out of Chapter 11 in 2007 in partnership with Marlin Equity Partners and relaunched it, restoring the Ron Popeil brand identity and direct-response TV engine
- Expanded Ronco retail distribution into Walmart, Kohl's, Sears and Walgreens
- Restructured GlobeIn into a scalable subscription commerce model
- As CEO of Midwest Trading Group, drove cost reductions and channel diversification and acquired the consumer-electronics accessory brand TYLT in December 2023
- Has served as CEO, CMO, COO and operating partner across businesses ranging from fast-growth direct-to-consumer brands to $135 million international divisions
- Steered Work 'N Gear through a Chapter 11 restructuring that ended in April 2026 with the DIP lender repaid in full and the brand and e-commerce platform positioned for relaunch
- Built the Scrubology private-label healthcare apparel line at Work 'N Gear
- Long-standing member of YPO, the Association for Corporate Growth and the Turnaround Management Association

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Announced that Work 'N Gear's assets had been acquired by a family-office-backed operator, that DIP lender Baaj Capital was fully repaid and exited its position, and that the company would relaunch e-commerce and reopen up to ten stores across Long Island, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
- **2026-02** — Work 'N Gear's Chapter 11 case converted to a liquidation plan; remaining stores and the Avon, Massachusetts distribution centre wound down.
- **2025-10** — Closed a debtor-in-possession financing facility with Black Feather Capital, LLC, replacing the prior lender and cutting the chain from 38 stores to 26 performing locations.
- **2025-07** — Work 'N Gear filed for Chapter 11 protection in the District of New Jersey, case 25-17472, with roughly 35 stores across 11 states.
- **2023-12** — As CEO of Midwest Trading Group, announced the acquisition of consumer-electronics accessory brand TYLT.

## Links

- Website: https://workngear.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-nusbaum-a03186111
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LarryNusbaumNetwork

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Last updated: 2026-07-27