Competing against industry leaders from across the nation, financial consulting firm O’Keefe & Associates won the Turnaround of the Year Award (Lower Middle Market) and the Industrial Manufacturing/Distribution Deal of the Year Award for the turnaround of Graceland Fruit. Meagan Hardcastle, a director in O’Keefe’s Strategic Advisory Services Group, was honored with the Turnaround Professional of the Year Award.

The M&A Advisor’s 6th Annual Turnaround Awards Gala was held on January 31 at The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach, FL. The winners were announced “Academy-Awards style” to a sold-out crowd at the Gala event, which was hosted by Bloomberg Television’s national chief correspondent Carol Massar and featured a keynote address by Dennis Shaughnessy, chairman of FTI Consulting.

“O’Keefe & Associates and Meagan Hardcastle represent the best of the turnaround, restructuring and distressed investing industry in 2011, and earned this honor by standing out in a group of very impressive finalists,” said Roger Aguinaldo, CEO of The M&A Advisor.

“The firm, once again, has achieved an outstanding result in a difficult transaction. Through the tireless efforts of our team led by Meagan Hardcastle as CRO, and with John Dimovski providing vital support, we were able to protect equity and keep ownership intact, and save much needed jobs in the community,” said Pat O’Keefe, CEO of O’Keefe & Associates. “I am proud of our turnaround team