Industry & Services >> CEO Interviews >> January 20, 1999
LAWRENCE K. 'LARRY' KING is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Coach
U.S.A., Inc., a public company trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
Mr. King began his career with the Big 6 accounting firm, Arthur Andersen
& Co. He spent eight years in audit and business consulting working with
clients in manufacturing, oilfield service, and distribution. His clients
included Browning-Ferris Industries, Energy Venture Inc. and Equus
Capital Ventures, all of which focused heavily on acquisitions as a major
growth strategy. Mr. King's early exposure to the motorcoach industry
came when he served on the audit of Eagle Bus Company of Brownsville,
Texas. Mr. King left Arthur Andersen to work for a former client, Permian
partners, a three billion dollar NYSE Public company. While there, Mr.
King obtained much of his early transportation experience as the company
operated 600 crude oil trucks 24 hours a day to supplement their
extensive pipeline gathering network. Mr. King helped orchestrate the
sale of Permian to Ashland Oil in 1991. Subsequently, Mr. King helped
found the start-up company, SI Diamond Technology. Working with several
scientists, one of the company's major strategies was to acquire cutting
tool and other related companies and apply SI Diamond's proprietary man-
made diamond technology. Mr. King became the first employee of Coach
U.S.A. in the fall of 1995 where he was responsible for developing the
first business plan and concept presentations to Wall Street firms. He
played an instrumental role in working with the founding motorcoach
company owners to take Coach U.S.A. public in May 1996. He has served on
the Board of Directors and as Chief Financial Officer since the company's
inception and was recently elected CEO and Chairman. Profile
of the Coach U.S.A. to kind of set the stage for the readers?
Mr. King: Coach U.S.A. was a simultaneous acquisition of
