Willkie served as financing counsel to Platinum Equity and Butterfly on their joint acquisition of Rise Baking Company, a leading supplier of bakery products to in-store bakeries and foodservice customers across North America.

On September 17, Platinum Equity and Butterfly announced the acquisition of Rise Baking Company, a Minneapolis-based bakery manufacturer that serves a blue-chip customer base with a well-diversified portfolio of bakery products. Platinum Equity and Butterfly are equal partners in the investment, which is expected to close in Q4 2024. Founded in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with more than $48 billion of assets under management and a portfolio of approximately 50 operating companies that serve customers around the world. Butterfly is a Los Angeles-based private equity firm specializing in the food sector.

The Willkie team was led by partners Cristopher Greer, Joshua Deason and Jason Pearl and included counsel Michael Wolynski and associates Samuel Neill and Adam Lorenzana.