Rahul Patel

• Advised Roper Technologies and its subsidiary CentralReach in connection with the acquisition of SpectrumAi. SpectrumAi is a digital health company focused on developing solutions to enhance autism care. It develops enterprise systems within healthcare, providing data and insights for ABA providers.
• Advised Cox Automotive in connection with its acquisition of Bel Air Auto Auction and Tallahassee Auto Action from BSC America. The targets specialize in asset management and sales, with a focus on the automotive and financial sectors.
• Advised H.I.G. Capital in connection with its acquisition of Principle Environmental in an add-on transaction for its existing platform, United Flow Technologies. Principle Environmental is a manufacturers’ representative firm serving the municipal and industrial wastewater and water treatment process.
• Advised Cox Automotive in connection with its acquisition of Bel Air Auto Auction and Tallahassee Auto Action from BSC America. Bel Air Auto Auction manages the flow of more than 100,000 vehicles each year, handling consignments from new and used car dealers and private business fleets as well as those from public service and government agencies, selling on eleven auction lanes every Thursday. Tallahassee Auto Auction similarly hosts a number of auctions in the Tallahassee and greater Florida panhandle area.
• Advised Roper Technologies in connection with its acquisition of Orchard Software from Francisco Partners for $175 million. Orchard Software is a leader in the laboratory information system industry for providing solutions that enhance clinical and pathology laboratory workflow.
• Advised H.I.G. Capital in its acquisition of CS3 Corp, in an add-on transaction for its existing platform, United Flow Technologies. CS3 is a manufacturers’ representative group serving the municipal and industrial wastewater and water treatment process in the Florida and Georgia markets.
• Advised Roper Technologies in connection with its acquisition of Subsplash for $800 million. Subsplash is a leading provider of AI-enabled, cloud-based software and fintech solutions that serve over 20,000 faith-based organizations and churches. Their solutions include mobile & TV apps and tools for digital giving, church management, media hosting, and website building.
• Advised the Aditya Birla Group in connection with the acquisition AluChem Companies Inc. for an enterprise value of $125 million. AluChem is a North America-based specialty alumina producer delivering high-performance alumina for industrial applications.
• Advised Aqueduct Capital Group in connection with a sale to PNC Bank and Harris Williams, a subsidiary of PNC. Aqueduct is a registered broker dealer that provides fund placement, equity and debt capital raise, fund advisory, co-investment advisory and secondary advisory services to the private equity industry.
• Advised Roper Technologies in the acquisition of Outgo. Outgo is an end-to-end, carrier-focused, freight factoring platform.
• Advised United Parcel Service in connection with the sale of the assets of its subsidiary, Ware2Go to Stord. Ware2Go has specialized in asset-light D2C e-commerce and B2B retail across a diverse array of industries including ready-to-drink beverages, skin care, supplements, electronics, and more, offering services including direct to consumer, seller fulfilled prime, and retail compliant B2B shipments.
• Advised H.I.G. Capital in its acquisition of Sydnor Hydro, LLC (“Sydnor Hydro”) in an add-on transaction for its existing platform, United Flow Technologies. Sydnor Hydro is a construction and equipment supply company that specializes in groundwater and wastewater systems.
• Advised UPS in the acquisition of Andlauer Healthcare Group Inc. (TSX: AND) for $1.6 billion. Andlauer provides end-to-end cold chain capabilities available to healthcare customers focusing on temperature-controlled and precision logistics solutions.
• Advised Roper Technologies in its acquisition of CentralReach from Insight Partners for $1.85 billion. CentralReach is a leading provider in autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) care software for applied behavior analysis (ABA), multidisciplinary therapy, and special education.
• Advised H.I.G. Capital in its acquisition of GP Jager, LLC (“GP Jager”) in an add-on transaction for its existing platform, United Flow Technologies (“UFT”). GP Jager is a manufacturers’ representative of equipment used for water and wastewater treatment in New York and New Jersey.
• Advised H.I.G. Capital in its acquisition of Quality Controls in an add-on transaction for its existing platform United Flow Technologies (“UFT”). Quality Controls is a manufacturers’ representative and stocking distributor of flow control equipment, process equipment and process instrumentation.
• Advised H.I.G. Capital in its acquisition of Moss-Kelley, Inc. and MKI Services, Inc. in an add-on transaction for its existing platform, United Flow Technologies. MKI is a manufacturers’ representative group serving the municipal and industrial wastewater and water treatment process in the Florida market.
• Advised Sakaem Holdings in the acquisition of certain assets from Standard Forwarding, a subsidiary of DHL, and entered into definitive agreements to lease various trucks and trailers from DHL.
• Advised EVE Partners, a financial sponsor, in its acquisition of Velociti, LLC and its wholly owned subsidiary Velociti Europe Limited. Velociti is a global provider of design, deployment and support services for commercial fleet and enterprise facility technology applications throughout the United States.
• Advised financial sponsor EVE Partners in connection with a platform acquisition of Riverstone Logistics. RLX is a provider of white-glove, heavy goods final mile delivery services and tailored logistics solutions including rapid response delivery, warehouse management and connected brokerage services.
• Advised H.I.G. Capital in the sale of their portfolio company USALCO to private equity fund TJC. USALCO is a leading provider of high-quality specialty chemicals used in water and wastewater treatment and other industrial applications in the United States.
• Advised Innovation Technologies (d/b/a Irrimax) in a merger with ARCHIMED. Irrimax manufactures, markets and distributes antimicrobial irrigation products and holds the rights to US and worldwide patents for wound irrigation products and technologies.
• Advised NCR Voyix Corporation (NYSE: VYX) in the carveout sale of its digital banking business to Veritas Capital for a purchase price of $2.45 billion in cash plus future additional contingent consideration of up to $100 million.
• Advised Sharecare, Inc. (NASDAQ: SHCR) and its founder Jeff Arnold in connection with the $550 million take private transaction by Altaris, Inc. Sharecare is a digital health company that helps people manage all of their health in one place.
• Advised UPS in the sale of its Coyote Logistics business to RXO, Inc. (NYSE: RXO) for $1.025 billion. Coyote is a leading technology-driven, asset-light based truckload freight brokerage services business, based in Chicago, working with 100,000 network carriers, and managing 10,000 loads per day.
• Advised H.I.G. Capital in the acquisition of American Rental Company (ARC). ARC provides solid waste management and recycling equipment solutions to a wide range of customers including retailers, haulers, brokers, hotels and direct to end-users.
• Advised H.I.G. Capital in its acquisition of Municipal Valve & Equipment Company Inc., in an add-on transaction for its existing platform, United Flow Technologies. Municipal Valve & Equipment Company, Inc. is a manufacturers’ representative group serving the municipal and industrial wastewater and water treatment process.
• Advised Blackstone in an agreement to sell a portfolio of loans, CLOs and minority equity investments to Oaktree Capital.
• Advised private equity firm SK Capital Partners in the sale of its portfolio company Foremark Performance Chemicals to Channelview.
• Advised Cox Enterprises in connection with its acquisition of OpenGov, Inc. for $1.8 billion. OpenGov is a government software provider headquartered in Silicon Valley, providing cloud-based solutions for budget and planning, permitting and licensing, procurement, asset management and other local-government needs.
• Advised private equity firm Tacoma Investment in the acquisition of HPSC Group, a Texas-based group of home health and hospice companies.
• Advised H.I.G. Capital in the acquisition of certain assets from Brenntag Southwest in an add-on transaction for its existing portfolio company USALCO. Brenntag Southwest provides a portfolio of industrial and specialty chemicals and ingredients as well as tailor-made application, marketing and supply chain solutions, technical and formulation support and digital solutions for a wide range of industries.
• Advised Jack Cooper in the acquisition of certain assets of Moore Transport. Moore Transport is a Texas-based transportation entity for independent dealerships and a manufacturer to dealer specialist, providing truck away services to many major automotive manufacturers.
• Advised Ghost Controls on its sale to Amarr Company, an affiliate of Assa Abloy AB (OTCMKTS: ASAZY). Ghost Controls, headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida, is a leading designer and manufacturer of innovative swing gate and automatic gate opener systems and solutions for the do-it-yourself residential, agricultural and retail automated gate openers markets.
• Advised The Home Depot in connection with this acquisition of International Designs Group. International Designs Group is a leading slab and tile distribution company specializing in supplying high-quality materials for the kitchen and bath industry, with a primary focus on serving the new construction and remodeling markets.
• Advised H.I.G. Capital in connection with the acquisition of Hydro Controls in an add-on transaction for its existing platform, United Flow Technologies. Hydro Controls is a manufacturers’ representative group serving the municipal and industrial wastewater and water treatment process equipment.
• Advised The Home Depot, through its subsidiary, HD Supply, Inc., in connection with the acquisition of Redi-Carpet. Redi-Carpet is the largest multi-family flooring provider in the country.
• Advised United Parcel Service in connection with the acquisition of Happy Returns LLC from PayPal Holdings. Happy Returns provides a comprehensive returns solution known as and operated under the “Happy Returns” brand, including returns software for merchant websites, retail partner drop-off locations and reverse logistics operations. Happy Returns has a drop of network
• Advised private equity firm Tacoma Investment in its acquisition of HPSC Group. This is an add-on acquisition for Tacoma’s Frontpoint Health platform, which is a specialty Home Care platform focused on creating the new standard for in-home care through higher patient satisfaction and health outcomes. The HPSC Group is a leading Texas-based group of home health and hospice companies, focused on providing exceptional senior care across Texas.
• Advised United Parcel Service of America (“UPS”) in the acquisition of MNX Global Logistics Corp. from its financial sponsor Quad-C Management. MNX is a provider of third-party logistics services, including international specialist transportation and logistics, dedicated hand-carries, express air freight, same-day express courier, and fulfillment operations, among others.
• Advised ACON Investments in the acquisition of Wholesale Floors in an add-on transaction for its existing portfolio company Diverzify+ LLC. Wholesale Floors is a commercial flooring contractor offering a full range of flooring services throughout Arizona and the Pacific Northwest region, including carpet care, architectural surfaces care, furniture and textiles care and metal and wood care.
• Advised H.I.G. Capital in the acquisition of Iowa Pump Works for its platform company United Flow Technologies. Iowa Pump Works is a manufacturers’ representative of process equipment for water treatment and wastewater treatment and serves the Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin markets.
• Advised EVE Partners in connection with the merger of its portfolio company Omni Logistics with Forward Air Corporation (NASDAQ: FWRD) in a cash-and-stock transaction, creating a combined company that generated approximately $3.7 billion of combined adjusted revenue for the twelve months ended June 30, 2023. Omni is a global multimodal provider of air, ocean and ground services, with operations in more than 100 locations and more than 7,000 customers worldwide. Forward Air is an asset-light provider of transportation services across the United States, Canada and Mexico, providing expedited less-than-truckload services.
• Advised Mativ Holdings, Inc. in a final, binding and irrevocable offer letter for the carveout sale of its Engineered Papers business to an affiliate of BMJ, an Indonesian-based privately held group of diversified companies, for a purchase price of $620 million.
• Advised ACON Investments in the acquisition of APEX Group. APEX is a major commercial flooring contractor offering a full range of flooring services throughout the U.S., including carpet care, architectural surfaces care, furniture and textiles care and metal and wood care.
• Advised Rick Schnall and certain other co-investors in an agreement to purchase the majority of the equity of the Charlotte Hornets NBA team and related assets from Michael Jordan. Schnall was lead co-owner with Gabe Plotkin, and Schnall will serve as governor of the team for the five years following the closing. In addition, also advised Schnall in connection with the sale of his interest in the Atlanta Hawks NBA team.
• Advised SK Capital Partners, through its portfolio company, Foremark Performance Chemicals (“Foremark”) in a transaction to acquire NexGen Oilfield Chemicals, LLC. NexGen develops and sells products and equipment that remove (i.e., scavenge) acid gases, including H2S, mercaptans, and CO2, from oil and natural gas.
• Advised HIG Capital in connection with the acquisition of Macaulay Controls Company in an add-on transaction for its existing platform, United Flow Technologies. Macaulay Controls Company is a manufacturers’ representative of process equipment for water treatment and wastewater treatment.
• Advised Cox Communications in its acquisition of Logicworks Systems Corporation. Logicworks is a platform driven cloud modernization, migration, and operations provider.
• Advised Waterfall Capital Investments in its acquisition of Apothecare Pharmacy. Apothecare provides comprehensive pharmacy services, including retail prescriptions, medication and therapy management, compliance and specialty services and convenient product delivery.
• Advised Ware2Go Inc., a subsidiary of UPS, in the acquisition of the fulfillment and logistics business of Whitebox Technologies. Whitebox is an ecommerce platform that offers merchants advertising agency services.
• Advised private equity firm Georgia Oak Partners, LLC in its acquisition of Artisan Custom Closets. Artisan Custom Closets specializes in designing, manufacturing, and installing custom home storage solutions.
• Represented DCL Holdings (USA), Inc., an affiliate of our client private equity fund HIG Capital, in connection with an asset purchase agreement with an affiliate of Blackstone Alternative Credit Advisors pursuant to which Blackstone will serve as the stalking horse bidder to acquire substantially all of the assets of DCL which was entered into in connection with a related bankruptcy proceedings under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in Delaware as well as a parallel proceeding in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Canada. DCL is a global manufacturer and reseller of high-performance specialty pigments in a variety of end markets, including specialty coatings, plastics and digital printing.
• Advised ETL Holdco, a portfolio company of private equity firm EVE Partners, in the acquisition of Fastrucking.com, which provides truck loading and delivery services throughout the United States.
• Advised H.I.G. Capital in its acquisition of Kodru Equipment, LLC . Kodru Equipment is a manufacturers’ representative of process equipment for water treatment and wastewater treatment.
• Advised Oxford Industries in its acquisition of Johnny Was. Johnny Was sells a broad line of women’s apparel, accessories and home goods. Its products are available via ecommerce, in its 61 stores across 24 states and in a broad array of wholesale accounts.
• Advised United Parcel Service of America (“UPS”) in an equity investment in CommerceHub, where concurrently CommerceHub entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with ChannelAdvisor Corporation (NYSE: ECOM).
• Advised ACON Investments, through its portfolio company Diverzify+, in its acquisition of Resource Colorado. Resource is a major commercial flooring contractor based in Colorado offering a full range of flooring services, including specification and design support, product care and maintenance and start-to-finish project management.
• Advised Tacoma Investment in the acquisition of a group of home hospice companies and operators commonly known as Dignity Hospice and Highland Hospice.
• Advised SK Capital Partners in an investment in VDM Holdings, LLC. VDM is the leading producer of merchant phosgene in North America.
• Advised Omni Logistics, a portfolio company of private equity funds EVE Partners and Ridgemont Equity Partners, in its acquisition of Air & Ground World Transport (“AGW”).
• Advised private equity firm Tacoma Investment in connection with the acquisition of a group of home healthcare companies and operators commonly known as One Point Health. One Point is a Texas-based home health provider, offering comprehensive and personalized care for patients.
• Represented Roper Technologies in its acquisition of viGlobal. viGlobal provides end-to-end talent management software to professional services organizations, including 500 law firms worldwide.
• Advised Cox Enterprises in its acquisition of Axios Media and related spin out of Axios’ HQ business into a separate entity in a transaction evaluating Axios at $525 million. Axios is a digital media company that produces long-form journalism, industry-focused newsletters, podcasts, an HBO series and operates local newsrooms in more than 20 U.S. cities. One of the co-founders of Axios, Jim VandeHei, also previously co-founded the media company Politico.
• Advised Cox Enterprises in a strategic investment in Mucci Farms, a 60-year industry leader with a network of thousands of acres of indoor grown fruits and vegetables.

Rahul Patel focuses on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic corporate transactions. He is co-chair of the firm’s Global Private Equity/M&A practice and has served two terms on our firm’s Policy Committee, the firm’s governing and management group. He has been at the firm for over almost thirty years.

Rahul has recently been listed by Forbes Magazine as one of the top 50 M&A lawyers in the U.S. Rahul has been rated as a leading mergers and acquisitions lawyer by Chambers Global, Chambers USA, Chambers Asia-Pacific and Legal 500. He is one of two Chambers Band 1 rated corporate lawyers in Georgia which notes the following in its review: “Rahul Patel is well regarded for representing leading companies in M&A and joint venture transactions. Clients note he has an incredible understanding of complex deals and deep, practical business knowledge. Rahul is an excellent strategic adviser who provides very prompt, useful and practical advice."

Rahul represents leading companies and private equity funds such as ACON Investments, CD&R, Cox Enterprises, EVE Partners, General Electric, General Motors, The Home Depot, H.I.G. Capital, Kemira Chemicals, Mahindra & Mahindra, Oxford Industries, Roper Technologies, SK Capital, Truist Banks, T.V. Asia and UPS in a broad range of merger and acquisition, joint venture, and other control and non-control transactions. A significant portion of Rahul’s corporate work focuses on cross-border transactions.

He is the Vice Chair of the University of Florida Board of Trustees and chaired the search committees to select both the 13th and 14th Presidents of the University of Florida. Rahul also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Crawford & Company (NYSE) and is a trustee emeritus of The Westminster Schools.