Denise A.Carkhuff

Partner

Cleveland + 1.216.586.1079

Denise Carkhuff has been the lead lawyer on M&A and private equity transactions for more than 26 years. Her experience includes diverse industries, jurisdictions, and deal structures. Denise has experience in the full life cycle of a company (from formation, capital raising, dividend recapitalizations, IPOs, sales, and dissolutions). Denise's main focus is representing private equity funds. She has served in a general counsel function for countless private companies, including portfolio companies of private equity funds.

Denise has worked with many private equity funds, including Blue Point Capital Partners, Centre Lane Partners, Cortec Group, Morgan Stanley Private Equity, The Riverside Company, and Wellspring Capital. She also represents private companies or their management teams in their ultimate sale and has been involved with many complex M&A transactions involving public and private clients.

She is a member of the Board of the Achievement Centers for Children, a nonprofit whose mission is to empower children and adults with disabilities, and First Tee, a youth development organization introducing golf and its values to kids and teens. For 14 years, she was a member of the Board of Friends of Breakthrough Schools, a top-rated network of free public charter schools. She is a member of In Counsel With Women, an invitation-only networking group for top women leaders in Northeast Ohio and led for a dozen years, Women In Transactions, a networking group for women doing transactional work. She co-leads RRAIN, a Cleveland women lawyers group at Jones Day. Denise was a member of the 2018 Leadership Cleveland class.

Experience

  • Cortec Group sells Harmar and 101 Mobility to The Halifax GroupJones Day advised Cortec Group in the sale of its Harmar/101 Mobility platform to an affiliate of the Halifax Group.
  • Morgan Stanley Capital Partners portfolio company acquires Label InnovationJones Day advised Morgan Stanley Capital Partners in connection with the acquisition and financing by portfolio company AWT Labels & Packaging (AWT) of Label Innovation, a custom converter and label manufacturer utilizing roll-to-roll rotary and laser die-cutting technology to produce products and components for the medical, technology, and security markets.
  • Morgan Stanley Capital Partners acquires Velopi LTDJones Day advised Morgan Stanley Capital Partners in the acquisition by portfolio company Educate 360 of Velopi LTD, a leading provider of project management training and consultancy services in Europe.
  • Morgan Stanley Capital Partners acquires Automatic Plastics Ltd.Jones Day advised Morgan Stanley Capital Partners in the acquisition by portfolio company Comar of Automatic Plastics Ltd., a contract manufacturer of injection molded products primarily for the medical device and pharmaceutical sectors.
  • Morgan Stanley Capital Partners portfolio company acquires Labeltronix, LLCJones Day advised Morgan Stanley Capital Partners in connection with the acquisition by portfolio company AWT Labels & Packaging, Inc. (AWT) of Labeltronix, LLC, a leading label manufacturer of premium craft labels serving some of the country's most prominent brands, in a variety of markets including wine and spirits, craft beer, nutraceutical, food and beverage, and other CPG sectors.
  • Morgan Stanley Capital Partners acquires Omega PackagingJones Day advised Morgan Stanley Capital Partners in the acquisition and financing by portfolio company Comar of Omega Packaging, a manufacturer of injection and blow molded products serving the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, sports nutrition, and skin care markets.
  • Blue Point Capital Partners portfolio company acquires Texas Water ManagementJones Day advised Blue Point Capital Partners in connection with the acquisition by its Fund IV portfolio company, TAS Environmental Services, of Texas Water Management, a liquid waste transportation service provider to industrial waste generators primarily in the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast regions.
  • Morgan Stanley Capital Partners portfolio company acquires MacArthur CorporationJones Day advised Morgan Stanley Capital Partners in connection with the acquisition by portfolio company AWT Labels & Packaging, Inc. (AWT) of MacArthur Corporation, a world-class manufacturer of innovative labels, tags, decals, and functional film components for the mobility, electronics, health technology, and industrial sectors.
  • Cortec Group acquires Pink LilyJones Day advised the Cortec Group in connection with the acquisition and financing of Pink Lily, a direct-to-consumer provider of women's apparel and accessories.
  • Cortec Group portfolio company acquires Teslaccessories, LLCJones Day advised the Cortec Group in connection with the acquisition and financing by portfolio company Enthusiast Auto Holdings, LLC, a direct-to-enthusiast, digitally native platform that invests in and helps operate some of the most innovative e-commerce retailers in the performance automotive industry, of Teslaccessories, LLC, d/b/a EVANNEX, an aftermarket electric vehicle and Tesla accessories dealer.
  • Cortec Group acquires Little Sleepies, LLCJones Day advised the Cortec Group in connection with the acquisition of Little Sleepies, LLC, a retailer of high-quality children’s sleepwear products.
  • PPC Flexible Packaging acquires Consumer Packaging Group, LLCJones Day represented Morgan Stanley Capital Partners and its portfolio company, PPC Flexible Packaging, LLC, in PPC's acquisition and financing of the Harland, Wisconsin, based Consumer Packaging Group, LLC.
  • Cortec Group portfolio company acquires Kino Flo, Inc.Jones Day advised the Cortec Group and Chauvet & Sons, LLC in connection with the acquisition by portfolio company Chauvet & Sons, LLC, a developer and manufacturer of entertainment lighting products, of Kino Flo, Inc., a multi-award-winning manufacturer of lighting systems engineered for cinema and television production.
  • Morgan Stanley Capital Partners acquires Nivel Parts & ManufacturingJones Day advised Morgan Stanley Capital Partners in the acquisition and financing of Nivel Parts & Manufacturing Co., LLC, a global manufacturer, distributor, and seller of aftermarket parts and accessories for niche vehicles and heavy-duty equipment.
  • Morgan Stanley Capital Partners portfolio company acquires Pierian DataJones Day represented Morgan Stanley Capital Partners in connection with the acquisition by portfolio company, Education 360, LLC, of Pierian Data, Inc., a leading provider of high-quality technology training, with a focus on Python programming language courses, data science courses, and machine learning courses.
  • Morgan Stanley Capital Partners portfolio company acquires Target Labels & Packaging LLCJones Day represented Morgan Stanley Capital Partners in connection with the acquisition by portfolio company, PPC Flexible Packing LLC, of North Salt Lake, Utah-based Target Labels and Packaging LLC.
  • Morgan Stanley Capital Partners invests in AWT Labels & Packing and Citation Healthcare LabelsJones Day advised Morgan Stanley Capital Partners in connection with its investment in and financing of Advanced Web Technologies Holding Company, which operates as AWT Labels & Packaging and Citation Healthcare Labels, from Mason Wells, a Midwest-based private equity firm.
  • Morgan Stanley portfolio company acquires Custom Poly Bag, Inc.Jones Day represented Morgan Stanley Capital Partners in connection with the acquisition and financing by portfolio company PPC Flexible Packaging, LLC of Custom Poly Bag, LLC, a leading manufacturer of custom flexible packaging for bakery, protein, medical, and specialty consumer markets, based in Alliance, Ohio.
  • Enthusiast Auto Holdings acquires membership interests held by Z1 Motorsports, LLCJones Day represented Enthusiast Auto Holdings, LLC, a platform company of the Cortec Group, and its affiliates in connection with the acquisition and financing of the membership interests held by Z1 Motorsports, LLC, a founder-owned e-commerce distributor of automotive aftermarket parts for Nissan and Infiniti vehicles and headquartered in Carrollton, Georgia.
  • Range Media Partners raises initial capital for companyJones Day represented Range Media Partners, LLC (f/k/a 3M Media Company, LLC) and its founders in connection with the seed financing round of the company, which will operate a talent management and media company business.
  • Speaking Engagements

    • December 2014
      Minimizing Post-Closing Disputes: Tips On What To Watch For And What To Avoid