Melissa J. Hutson, P.C.

Kirkland & Ellis advised Los Angeles-based private equity firm Butterfly Equity on the acquisition of ePac Holdings from its investor consortium, including Amcor and Indevco Group. ePac is the global leading producer of digitally printed flexible packaging, with a strong position across the consumer-packaged goods landscape. Financial terms were not disclosed. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers Ravi Agarwal, Giorgia A. Nagalli, Victor Simonte and Brogan Mahon; tax lawyers Ben Schreiner, Rory Minnis and Yewande Ford; and debt finance lawyers Timothy Conor Hughes, Melissa Hutson, Gina Eum and Ben Siroky.

Jan 15

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) on the sale of its Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) business to Protective Industrial Products, Inc. (PIP), a portfolio company of Odyssey Investment Partners, for $1.325 billion in an all-cash transaction. The transaction will enable Honeywell to further simplify its portfolio in order to accelerate value creation in alignment with three compelling megatrends: automation, the future of aviation and energy transition. Honeywell’s PPE business, part of the Industrial Automation business portfolio, is a global provider of PPE for industrial workers, offering a comprehensive and differentiated product portfolio that serves a diverse and resilient set of growing customers and end markets. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers Ted Frankel, David Klein, Chris Grady, Matt Nelson and Kendall Maxwell; technology & IP transactions lawyers Dan Lewis, Jessie Perlman, Todd Herst and Aseem Jha; tax lawyers Sara Zablotney, Heidi Yuen and Allison Bray; executive compensation lawyers Scott Price and Sally Ye; employee benefits lawyer Maureen O’Brien; debt finance lawyers Melissa Hutson and Conor O’Muiri; capital markets lawyer Sharon Freiman, Ashley Sinclair and Bob Hayward; and antitrust & competition lawyers Andrea Murino and Brittany Burke.

Nov 22

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised private equity firm Butterfly on the sale of a majority of its stake in vitamins, minerals and supplements brand MaryRuth Organics, LLC. The transaction was announced August 15, 2024. Since acquiring a stake in MaryRuth's in August 2021, Butterfly has helped the Company nearly triple in size and quadruple its profitability. Under the new capital structure, MaryRuth Ghiyam and her family will retain a significant majority ownership of the business. To support MaryRuth’s growth and as part of the transaction, global alternative investment firm King Street will provide financing to the company. Butterfly will remain an active investor in the business and retain representation on the Board of Directors. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team was led by corporate partners Ravi Agarwal and Sean Rodgers; debt finance partners Melissa Hutson and Tim Hughes; tax partner Ben Schreiner; and executive compensation partner Scott Price.

Aug 15

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised private equity firm Butterfly Equity on a definitive agreement to purchase North America’s premier luxury wine company The Duckhorn Portfolio (NYSE: NAPA) in an all-cash transaction that values the company at $1.95 billion. The transaction was announced October 7, 2024. Under the terms of the agreement, Duckhorn shareholders will receive $11.10 per share in cash. Following the completion of the transaction, Duckhorn will become a privately owned company. The transaction, which was unanimously approved by the Duckhorn Board of Directors, is expected to close this winter, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Duckhorn shareholders and the receipt of required regulatory approvals. Butterfly is a Los Angeles-based private equity firm specializing in the food and beverage sector. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers Ravi Agarwal, Sean Rodgers and Steven Choi; debt finance lawyers Melissa Hutson and Tim Hughes; executive compensation lawyer Scott Price; tax lawyer Ben Schreiner; and investment funds lawyer David Sherman.

Oct 7

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised private equity firm Gamut Capital Management, L.P. on a definitive agreement to acquire Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning, a leading designer, installer and maintenance provider for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, from NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NRG). The acquisition was announced August 8, 2024. Airtron was acquired by NRG as part of its acquisition of Direct Energy in 2021. Financial terms were not disclosed. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team was led by corporate partners Constantine Skarvelis, Peter Martelli and Steven Choi; debt finance partners Yuli Wang and Melissa Hutson; and tax partner Mark Schwed with assistance from corporate associates Seung Bo Choi, Sandra Lewitz and Jay Gao; technology & IP transactions partners Joanna Schlingbaum and Shellie Freedman and associate Dan Sotos; debt finance associates Raghav Gupta and Brian Caldwell; tax partner Steven Ort and associate Grace Nielsen; executive compensation partners Anthony Ji and Michael Krasnovsky and associate Devin Kern; and employee benefits of counsel Jack Bernstein and associate Mackenzie Packard.

Aug 8

1 min