Three Holland & Knight Attorneys in South Florida Named Top Dealmakers by Miami Daily Business Review
April 30, 2010
Mark I. Aronson- Miami
Laurie L. Green- Ft Lauderdale
MIAMI – April 30, 2010 – Holland & Knight is proud to announce that three of the firm’s attorneys in South Florida were recognized as finalists for the Daily Business Review’s “Top Dealmaker of the Year” award.
The Top Dealmakers are selected by The Review's editorial staff from hundreds of nominations. According to the publication, the editors strive to "focus on the people who made the biggest, most significant and complex deals happen" throughout the year. Finalists are recognized in The Review's special Top Dealmakers issue and at their annual luncheon, where the winners are announced.
In the Corporate Finance category, partners Kara MacCullough and Laurie Green were nominated for their work in representing Miami-based transportation and logistics company, Ryder System, in structuring the purchase of $100 million in debt. They set up a “waterfall” debt tender offer and helped Ryder navigate complex securities laws and volatile markets in order to reduce its overall interest expenses.
Kara was also a finalist in the area of Corporate Finance for her role in representing SBA Communications of Boca Raton in its capital raise of $1.25 billion in two Rule 144A note offerings in mid-2009. SBA, the third largest wireless tower company in the U.S., issued $500 million in convertible senior notes in April 2009 and $750 million in high-yield notes in July 2009. In the high-yield note offering, Kara, with the assistance of Bill Sherman and Doug Darbut, negotiated a complex indenture which provided for two-series of notes, co-issued by the holding company and the operating company, with different rates, maturities and interconnecting covenants, thereby permitting her client to have a successful offering despite an extremely difficult capital markets environment.
In the area of Hotels, Real Estate partner Mark Aronson was recognized for his work representing a group of investors in the acquisition of the Regent Bal Harbour Hotel and Spa for $14.6 million from WCI Communities, a developer that filed for bankruptcy in 2008. Rated by Travel + Leisure as one of the “Top 30 New Hotels in the World,” the now re-branded One Bal Harbour Resort & Spa is an independent 17-story, five star, luxury condo hotel located in Miami Beach, Florida.
Mark, with the assistance of associate Gavin Williams, handled the acquisition while corporate partner, Jorge Hernandez-Torano and associate Jose Fernandez oversaw negotiations for the operating agreements and structure of the investment group. Bankruptcy partner John Monahan represented the buyer in Delaware Bankruptcy Court.
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