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Erik Belenky focuses on mergers and acquisitions, where he represents public and private companies, as well as private equity firms, in the full range of M&A activity, including significant acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and other strategic transactions. Erik also has substantial experience counseling companies, including boards of directors and C-Suite executives, on takeover defense, proxy contests, shareholder activism and corporate governance.

Erik has advised numerous leading public and private companies on substantial M&A matters, such as Newell Brands, General Electric Company, Baker Hughes Company, Georgia-Pacific, RELX Group (formerly, Reed Elsevier), The Home Depot, United Parcel Service, Xerox Holdings Corporation and Genuine Parts Company.  Recent representative transactions include acting for Newell Brands in its acquisition of Jarden Corporation; General Electric Company in the sale of its Small Industrial Motors business to Wolong Electric Group; Baker Hughes Company in the sale of its global Natural Gas Solutions business to First Reserve; Genuine Parts Company in its acquisition of Kaman Distribution Group; Mailchimp in its sale to Intuit; Xerox in its tender offer and proxy fight for HP; and U.S. Xpress in its sale to Knight-Swift Transportation.

For the last 12 consecutive years, Erik has been listed as a top M&A attorney in Chambers USA.  He is also listed in M&A by The Legal 500 US and Best Lawyers in America and has been recognized as a "Client Service All Star MVP" by BTI Consulting Group.

Erik was formerly a member of the board of trustees of The Schenck School (an independent school in Atlanta, GA for children with dyslexia).

Full Bio

Credentials

J.D., Duke University School of Law

B.A., Colby College

Hansard Scholar Academic Program, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

Georgia

BTI Client Service All Star


2021

Leader in M&A


Chambers USA

M&A


Legal 500 US

M&A; Corporate Law


Best Lawyers in Americas

Most Innovative Deal of the Year — The Deal Awards Middle Market


The Deal, 2018

Close

Recognition

BTI Client Service All Star


2021

Leader in M&A


Chambers USA

M&A


Legal 500 US

M&A; Corporate Law


Best Lawyers in Americas

Most Innovative Deal of the Year — The Deal Awards Middle Market


The Deal, 2018

Matters

Erik has extensive M&A experience across a broad range of industries. Representative transactions include:

CONSUMER AND RETAIL

Newell Brands Inc. in numerous transactions, including:

its $16 billion acquisition of Jarden Corporation

the sale of its Pure Fishing to Sycamore Partners for approximately $1.3 billion

See more

Close

Matters

Erik has extensive M&A experience across a broad range of industries. Representative transactions include:

CONSUMER AND RETAIL

Newell Brands Inc. in numerous transactions, including:

its $16 billion acquisition of Jarden Corporation

the sale of its Pure Fishing to Sycamore Partners for approximately $1.3 billion

its sale of The Waddington Group to Novolex Holdings, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, for approximately $2.3 billion

the $1.95 billion sale of its Tools business, including the Irwin®, Lenox®, and Hilmor® brands, to Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.

the sale of The United States Playing Card Company to Cartamundi Group, a leading manufacturer and distributor of playing cards and board games

the sale of its Process Solutions business to One Rock Capital Partners, LLC for $500 million

the $395 million sale of Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. to Seidler Equity Partners and Major League Baseball - The Daily Deal's Most Innovative Middle Market Deal of the Year (2018)

the sale of its Winter Sports businesses to Kohlberg & Company for $240 million

the sale of its Pine Mountain® fire starters and fire logs business, and Diamond® matches, fire starters, lighters, toothpicks, and laundry business, to Royal Oak Enterprises, a leading manufacturer of charcoal and grilling products

The Home Depot in multiple transactions, including:

its acquisition of The Litemore group of companies

its acquisition of Landmark Interiors

its acquisition of the Brafasco group of companies

the sale of Chem-Dry carpet cleaning franchise chain

Georgia-Pacific in the sale of its joint venture interest in Vania and Polive (feminine products) to Johnson & Johnson

Sweetwater Sound, the nation's largest e-commerce retailer of musical instruments and pro audio equipment, in its growth equity investment by Providence Equity Partners

Les Enterprises Barrette Ltee in the sale of Barrette Outdoor Living (North America's leading manufacturer of wood-alternative fence and railing products) to TorQuest Partners and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec

INDUSTRIALS

Genuine Parts Company in its $1.3 billion acquisition of Kaman Distribution Group, a leading distributor of power transmission, automation and fluid power products

Baker Hughes Company in multiple transactions, including:

its acquisition of AccessESP, a provider of advanced technology for artificial lift solutions

the sale of its specialty polymers business to SK Capital

the sale of its A-C Compressor service and repair business to Rotating Machinery Services, Inc.

the sale of its Rotoflow™ turboexpander business to Air Products

General Electric Company in a variety of transactions, including:

the sale of the small industrial motors business of its Power Conversion division to Wolong Electric Group Co., Ltd.

the sale of the Electric Machinery unit of its Converteam business to WEG

Georgia-Pacific in in acquisition of Excel Displays & Packaging, a designer and manufacturer of point-of-purchase displays and industrial packaging

Monstanto Company in its feed and processing joint venture with Cargill Inc.

The Vincit Group, a leading provider of food safety and pathogen control services for the protein industry, in its investment by Harvest Capital Partners

3M, in the sale of its 50% equity stake in Combi Packaging Systems to SIAT Group. Combi is a producer and distributor of packaging machinery and spare parts

Superior Essex, in the formation of its global joint venture with Nexans, creating the world's largest manufacturer or magnet wire

TECHNOLOGY

Mailchimp, a leading email marketing company to small and mid-market businesses, in its $12 billion sale to Intuit. The transaction was the largest sale of a privately held software company in U.S. history

Xerox Holdings Corporation in its tender offer and proxy fight for HP Inc.

RELX Group plc in numerous transactions, including:

its acquisitions of SST Software, a precision agriculture information solutions company, and CDMS, a leading provider of compliance data and solutions to support agronomic recommendations and decisions

the sale of a 51 percent stake in Reed Construction Data (RCD) to Warburg Pincus, and the sale of 100 percent of RSMeans to The Gordian Group, a Warburg Pincus portfolio company

the acquisition of Chemical Data, a leading provider of US petrochemical price benchmarks and predictive analytics

the acquisition of FlightStats, a leading flight status tracker

its acquisition of Intelligize, a leading provider of Securities and Exchange Commission intelligence and data solutions

Monitise plc, a provider of mobile banking technology services, in its acquisition of ClairMail

ENERGY

Baker Hughes Company in the sale of its global Natural Gas Solutions (NGS) business to First Reserve

General Electric Company in multiple transactions, including:

the acquisition of the Salof group of companies, designers of mini LNG and CO2 technologies and facilities

the sale of its Industrial Air & Gas Technologies business to Colfax Corporation

FINANCIAL SERVICES

General Electric Company in the sale of its Commercial Distribution Finance, Vendor Finance, and Corporate Finance platforms to Wells Fargo & Co.

American First Finance, a leading virtual lease-to-own and retail finance provider, in its sale to FirstCash, Inc. for up to $1.47 billion in cash and stock

CONSTRUCTION AND ENGINEERING

Georgia Pacific, in its acquisition of the Temple-Inland building products business from International Paper Company for $750 million

Kamco Supply, a leading supplier of ceilings, wallboard, steel, lumber, and related construction products, in its $317 million sale to GMS Inc. (NYSE: GMS)

AVIATION, TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS

U.S. Xpress Enterprises (NYSE: USX) in its sale to Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE: KNX)

ARINC Incorporated and its shareholders, American Airlines, Inc., Continental Airlines, Inc., Delta Air Lines, Inc., Northwest Airlines, Inc., United Air Lines, Inc., and US Airways, Inc., in the sale of the company to The Carlyle Group

United Parcel Service, in its acquisition of HTML Logistics

Koch Industries, in its acquisition of The Chicago Fuels Terminal from DTE Energy

HEALTHCARE

EDG Partners, a private equity firm focused on small and middle market healthcare companies, in numerous acquisitions, divestitures, and growth equity investments

Gemino Healthcare Finance, a nationwide provider of asset based and term loans to small and mid-size healthcare service providers, in the company's sale to Solar Senior Capital Ltd.

Matters

Erik has extensive M&A experience across a broad range of industries. Representative transactions include:

CONSUMER AND RETAIL

Newell Brands Inc. in numerous transactions, including:

its $16 billion acquisition of Jarden Corporation

the sale of its Pure Fishing to Sycamore Partners for approximately $1.3 billion

See more

Close

Matters

Erik has extensive M&A experience across a broad range of industries. Representative transactions include:

CONSUMER AND RETAIL

Newell Brands Inc. in numerous transactions, including:

its $16 billion acquisition of Jarden Corporation

the sale of its Pure Fishing to Sycamore Partners for approximately $1.3 billion

its sale of The Waddington Group to Novolex Holdings, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, for approximately $2.3 billion

the $1.95 billion sale of its Tools business, including the Irwin®, Lenox®, and Hilmor® brands, to Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.

the sale of The United States Playing Card Company to Cartamundi Group, a leading manufacturer and distributor of playing cards and board games

the sale of its Process Solutions business to One Rock Capital Partners, LLC for $500 million

the $395 million sale of Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. to Seidler Equity Partners and Major League Baseball - The Daily Deal's Most Innovative Middle Market Deal of the Year (2018)

the sale of its Winter Sports businesses to Kohlberg & Company for $240 million

the sale of its Pine Mountain® fire starters and fire logs business, and Diamond® matches, fire starters, lighters, toothpicks, and laundry business, to Royal Oak Enterprises, a leading manufacturer of charcoal and grilling products

The Home Depot in multiple transactions, including:

its acquisition of The Litemore group of companies

its acquisition of Landmark Interiors

its acquisition of the Brafasco group of companies

the sale of Chem-Dry carpet cleaning franchise chain

Georgia-Pacific in the sale of its joint venture interest in Vania and Polive (feminine products) to Johnson & Johnson

Sweetwater Sound, the nation's largest e-commerce retailer of musical instruments and pro audio equipment, in its growth equity investment by Providence Equity Partners

Les Enterprises Barrette Ltee in the sale of Barrette Outdoor Living (North America's leading manufacturer of wood-alternative fence and railing products) to TorQuest Partners and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec

INDUSTRIALS

Genuine Parts Company in its $1.3 billion acquisition of Kaman Distribution Group, a leading distributor of power transmission, automation and fluid power products

Baker Hughes Company in multiple transactions, including:

its acquisition of AccessESP, a provider of advanced technology for artificial lift solutions

the sale of its specialty polymers business to SK Capital

the sale of its A-C Compressor service and repair business to Rotating Machinery Services, Inc.

the sale of its Rotoflow™ turboexpander business to Air Products

General Electric Company in a variety of transactions, including:

the sale of the small industrial motors business of its Power Conversion division to Wolong Electric Group Co., Ltd.

the sale of the Electric Machinery unit of its Converteam business to WEG

Georgia-Pacific in in acquisition of Excel Displays & Packaging, a designer and manufacturer of point-of-purchase displays and industrial packaging

Monstanto Company in its feed and processing joint venture with Cargill Inc.

The Vincit Group, a leading provider of food safety and pathogen control services for the protein industry, in its investment by Harvest Capital Partners

3M, in the sale of its 50% equity stake in Combi Packaging Systems to SIAT Group. Combi is a producer and distributor of packaging machinery and spare parts

Superior Essex, in the formation of its global joint venture with Nexans, creating the world's largest manufacturer or magnet wire

TECHNOLOGY

Mailchimp, a leading email marketing company to small and mid-market businesses, in its $12 billion sale to Intuit. The transaction was the largest sale of a privately held software company in U.S. history

Xerox Holdings Corporation in its tender offer and proxy fight for HP Inc.

RELX Group plc in numerous transactions, including:

its acquisitions of SST Software, a precision agriculture information solutions company, and CDMS, a leading provider of compliance data and solutions to support agronomic recommendations and decisions

the sale of a 51 percent stake in Reed Construction Data (RCD) to Warburg Pincus, and the sale of 100 percent of RSMeans to The Gordian Group, a Warburg Pincus portfolio company

the acquisition of Chemical Data, a leading provider of US petrochemical price benchmarks and predictive analytics

the acquisition of FlightStats, a leading flight status tracker

its acquisition of Intelligize, a leading provider of Securities and Exchange Commission intelligence and data solutions

Monitise plc, a provider of mobile banking technology services, in its acquisition of ClairMail

ENERGY

Baker Hughes Company in the sale of its global Natural Gas Solutions (NGS) business to First Reserve

General Electric Company in multiple transactions, including:

the acquisition of the Salof group of companies, designers of mini LNG and CO2 technologies and facilities

the sale of its Industrial Air & Gas Technologies business to Colfax Corporation

FINANCIAL SERVICES

General Electric Company in the sale of its Commercial Distribution Finance, Vendor Finance, and Corporate Finance platforms to Wells Fargo & Co.

American First Finance, a leading virtual lease-to-own and retail finance provider, in its sale to FirstCash, Inc. for up to $1.47 billion in cash and stock

CONSTRUCTION AND ENGINEERING

Georgia Pacific, in its acquisition of the Temple-Inland building products business from International Paper Company for $750 million

Kamco Supply, a leading supplier of ceilings, wallboard, steel, lumber, and related construction products, in its $317 million sale to GMS Inc. (NYSE: GMS)

AVIATION, TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS

U.S. Xpress Enterprises (NYSE: USX) in its sale to Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE: KNX)

ARINC Incorporated and its shareholders, American Airlines, Inc., Continental Airlines, Inc., Delta Air Lines, Inc., Northwest Airlines, Inc., United Air Lines, Inc., and US Airways, Inc., in the sale of the company to The Carlyle Group

United Parcel Service, in its acquisition of HTML Logistics

Koch Industries, in its acquisition of The Chicago Fuels Terminal from DTE Energy

HEALTHCARE

EDG Partners, a private equity firm focused on small and middle market healthcare companies, in numerous acquisitions, divestitures, and growth equity investments

Gemino Healthcare Finance, a nationwide provider of asset based and term loans to small and mid-size healthcare service providers, in the company's sale to Solar Senior Capital Ltd.

Credentials

J.D., Duke University School of Law

B.A., Colby College

Hansard Scholar Academic Program, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

Georgia

BTI Client Service All Star


2021

Leader in M&A


Chambers USA

M&A


Legal 500 US

M&A; Corporate Law


Best Lawyers in Americas

Most Innovative Deal of the Year — The Deal Awards Middle Market


The Deal, 2018

Close

Recognition

BTI Client Service All Star


2021

Leader in M&A


Chambers USA

M&A


Legal 500 US

M&A; Corporate Law


Best Lawyers in Americas

Most Innovative Deal of the Year — The Deal Awards Middle Market


The Deal, 2018