George M.Hunter

Partner

Cleveland + 1.216.586.7858

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George Hunter advises companies and their boards on M&A and governance situations. Focusing on public mergers, he has counseled clients on U.S. and cross-border transactions involving a variety of deal structures. George also has significant experience representing public companies and boards in shareholder activism matters.

George has represented clients on M&A transactions in a wide range of industries, including aerospace, defense, energy, mining, banking, consumer goods, and consumer retail.

George also regularly counsels investment banking firms as transactional financial advisors.

Experience

  • FirstEnergy sells $3.5 billion transmission stake to BrookfieldJones Day advised FirstEnergy Corp. in the $3.5 billion sale of an additional 30.0% equity stake in its subsidiary FirstEnergy Transmission (“FET”), the holding company for FirstEnergy’s three regulated electric transmission businesses, to North American Transmission Company II L.P., FirstEnergy’s existing joint venture partner in FET and a controlled investment vehicle entity of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners.
  • Jefferies finalizes $680 million exit credit facilities in connection with acquisition of Forma Brands and its emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcyJones Day represented Jefferies Finance LLC, as administrative agent and collateral agent, and as the borrowers' controlling equity interest owner, in connection with two bankruptcy exit credit facilities, including a $300 million term loan and a $30 million revolving credit facility provided to Forma Brands, LLC (f.k.a. FB Acquisition LLC), and a $350 million term loan provided to Beauty Brands Acquisition LLC (an indirect parent company of Forma Brands, LLC), each made in connection with the acquisition of the company's assets by Jefferies and other creditors, and the emergence of the company from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.
  • Jefferies Finance provides $33 million superpriority secured DIP credit facility to Morphe, LLCJones Day represented Jefferies Finance LLC, as administrative agent and collateral agent, in connection with a $33 million superpriority secured debtor-in-possession credit facility provided to Morphe, LLC, a subsidiary of Forma Brands, LLC, a builder of beauty brands anchored in innovative and high-quality products, marketing and operations.
  • DataBank converts to a REIT and recapitalizes to bring in new investorsJones Day advised DataBank as special tax counsel in connection with its conversion to a real estate investment trust (REIT) and a complex recapitalization of its capital structure to bring in new investors.
  • FirstEnergy sells $2.4 billion minority transmission stake to BrookfieldJones Day represented FirstEnergy Corp. in its $2.4 billion sale of a 19.9% equity stake in its subsidiary FirstEnergy Transmission, the holding company for FirstEnergy’s three regulated electric transmission businesses.
  • DigitalBridge’s DataBank acquires Houston-area data centers from CyrusOneJones Day advised DigitalBridge Group Inc.’s DataBank subsidiary in the $670 million acquisition of four existing data centers in the Houston, TX metro area from CyrusOne.
  • FirstEnergy completes $1 billion Common Equity offeringJones Day represented FirstEnergy Corp. in connection with its $1 billion private placement of Common Equity to Blackstone Infrastructure Partners at $39.08 per share.
  • Infor sells Enterprise Asset Management business in $2.8 billion carveout saleJones Day advised Infor, a wholly owned subsidiary of Koch Industries, Inc., in the sale of its Enterprise Asset Management business to Hexagon AB for $2.8 billion, consisting of (i) $800 million in cash and (ii) approximately $2 billion of Hexagon’s common stock (HEXA-B.ST).
  • U.S. Steel sells Transtar, LLC to Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors for $640 millionJones Day represented United States Steel Corporation, an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States and Central Europe, in connection with the sale of its wholly owned short-line railroad subsidiary, Transtar, LLC, to a subsidiary of Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC for $640 million.
  • DataBank acquires zColo for $1.4 billionJones Day advised DataBank, a leading provider of enterprise-class colocation, connectivity, and managed services, in connection with the acquisition and financing of zColo, including certain U.S. and European data center assets, from Zayo Group Holdings, Inc. for $1.4 billion.
  • Wells Fargo-led syndicate of lenders successfully negotiate secured $1.1 billion restructuring credit facility for Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT)Jones Day represented Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (“Wells Fargo”), as administrative agent, in connection with the Chapter 11 financial reorganization plan of Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (“PREIT”), a publicly traded real estate investment trust that owns and manages a portfolio of shopping malls totaling over 23 million square feet of retail space.
  • OmniMax sells company to SVPGlobalJones Day advised OmniMax International, Inc., the leading national manufacturer of residential roof drainage systems and a top supplier of products for outdoor living, recreational vehicle, and other building end markets, in its acquisition by Strategic Value Partners, LLC and its affiliates ("SVPGlobal").
  • Merchant banking firm provides $122.5 million acquisition financing to provider of construction accounting software and payroll servicesJones Day advised a merchant banking firm in connection with a $122.5 million senior secured credit facility, comprised of a $110 million term loan and a $12.5 million revolving credit facility, supporting the acquisition of a leading provider of construction accounting software and payroll services for small- to mid-sized specialty contractors in Ohio.
  • Privately held company obtains term loan and amends existing credit agreementJones Day represented a privately held company in connection with a senior secured subordinated term loan from a fund and an amendment to its existing credit and security agreement, lease documents, and equipment notes with a national bank.
  • LendingTree announces strategic investment in StashJones Day advised LendingTree, Inc. in its strategic investment in Stash, one of the fastest-growing banking and investing services in the U.S.
  • OMNOVA acquired by Synthomer plc for $824 millionJones Day advised OMNOVA Solutions Inc. in its $824 million acquisition by Synthomer plc, a United Kingdom-based specialty chemical company.
  • Centerview Partners acts as financial advisor to Special Committee of Smart & Final Stores, Inc. in $1.12 billion sale of Smart & Final Stores, Inc. to affiliates of Apollo Global ManagementJones Day acted as counsel to Centerview Partners LLC, financial advisor to the Strategic Transactions Committee of the Board of Smart & Final Stores, Inc., in connection with the $1.12 billion acquisition of Smart & Final Stores, Inc. by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, LLC by acquiring all outstanding shares of Smart & Final's common stock for $6.50 per share in cash.
  • Westmoreland chapter 11 plan confirmedJones Day represented Westmoreland Resource Partners LP (WMLP) and its debtor-subsidiaries (the WMLP Debtors) and the Conflicts Committee in their chapter 11 cases commenced on October 9, 2018, in the Southern District of Texas.
  • Polychem acquired by The Sterling GroupJones Day advised Polychem Corporation in its acquisition by The Sterling Group.
  • Black Box acquired by AGC NetworksJones Day advised Black Box Corporation (Nasdaq: BBOX) in its acquisition by AGC Networks Ltd, a majority-owned subsidiary of Essar Global Fund.
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