The Deal Awards Middle Market NYC 2020 Winners

Award Categories
Deal of the Year
Piper Jaffray acquire Sandler O’Neill from Kelso and Carlyle
Target/Sellers: Sandler O’Neill & Partners LP/Kelso & Co. and Carlyle Group Inc.
Outside Counsel:
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
PR Firm:
Sard Verbinnen & Co. LLC
Acquirer: Piper Jaffray Cos.
Investment Adviser:
JMP Securities LLC
Piper Jaffray & Co.
Counsel to I-bank:
Latham & Watkins LLP
Outside Counsel:
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Dealmaker of the Year
Howard T. Spilko, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP
Public Relations Firm of the Year
Abernathy MacGregor Group Inc.
Most Innovative Deal of the Year
Verisk Analytics acquires Flexible Architecture from NexPhase Capital
Target/Sellers: Flexible Architecture & Simplified Technology LLC/NexPhase Capital LLC
Investment Adviser:
William Blair & Co. LLC
Outside Counsel:
Lowenstein Sandler LLP
PR Firm:
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
Acquirer: Verisk Analytics Inc.
Outside Counsel:
McCarter & English LLP
Specialty Awards
Private Equity Deal of the Year
Harvest Partners acquires Yellowstone Landscaping
Target/ Seller: Yellowstone Landscape Group Inc./CIVC Partners LP
Investment Adviser:
Harris Williams & Co.
Outside Counsel:
Moore & Van Allen PLLC
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Acquirer: Harvest Partners LP
Investment Adviser:
Piper Jaffray & Co.
William Blair & Co. LLC
Outside Counsel:
Ropes & Gray LLP
PR Firm:
Lambert Blicksilver
Restructuring Deal of the Year
Floral and gifting company FTD raises bids for assets at auction
Debtor: FTD Cos.
Legal Counsel: Jones Day and Richards, Layton & Finger PA
Investment Adviser: Moelis & Co. LLC and Piper Jaffray & Co.
Restructuring Adviser: AlixPartners LLP
Acquirers: Nexus Capital Management LP (FTD.com and ProFlowers); 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. (gourmet foods business); PlanetArt LLC (Gifts.com, Personal Creations and Red Envelope)
Legal Counsel: Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP (Nexus); Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP (1-800-Flowers.com); Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, Culhane Meadows PLLC and Fox Rothschild LLP (PlanetArt)
Investment Adviser: Oppenheimer & Co. (PlanetArt)
Private Equity Adviser of the Year
Jeffrey Poss, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
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Restructuring Advisory Firm of the Year
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Consumer, Retail, Food & Beverage
Consumer, Retail, Food & Beverage Deal of the Year
Boston Beer acquires Dogfish Head
Target/Seller: Dogfish Head Holding Co./Dogfish Head Founders & LNK Partners LLC
Investment Adviser:
Arlington Capital Advisors LLC
Outside Counsel:
McDermott Will & Emery LLP
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
PR Firm:
Kekst CNC
Acquirer: Boston Beer Co.
Investment Adviser:
Ardea Partners LP
Outside Counsel:
Nixon Peabody LLP
PR Firm:
Abernathy MacGregor Group Inc.
Consumer, Retail, Food & Beverage Law Firm of the Year
Nixon Peabody LLP
Consumer, Retail, Food & Beverage Investment Bank of the Year
Houlihan Lokey Inc.
Consumer, Retail, Food & Beverage Dealmaker of the Year
Rebecca Farrington, White & Case LLP
Energy & Industrials
Energy & Industrials Deal of the Year
Kaman acquires Bal Seal Engineering
Target/Seller: Bal Seal Engineering Inc.
Investment Adviser:
William Blair & Co. LLC
Outside Counsel:
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Acquirer: Kaman Corp.
Investment Adviser:
JPMorgan Securities LLC
Outside Counsel:
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
PR Firm:
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
Energy & Industrials Law Firm of the Year
Locke Lord LLP
Energy & Industrials Investment Bank of the Year
Lazard Ltd.
Energy & Industrials Dealmaker of the Year
Michael De Voe Piazza, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
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Financial Services
Financial Services Deal of the Year
CoreVest Management and Fortress sell CoreVest American Finance to Redwood Trust
Target/Sellers: CoreVest American Finance Lender LLC/CoreVest Management Partners LLC and Fortress Investment Group LLC
Investment Adviser:
Piper Jaffray & Co.
Outside Counsel:
Dechert LLP
Sidley Austin LLP
Acquirer: Redwood Trust Inc.
Investment Adviser:
JMP Securities LLC
Counsel to I-bank:
McGuireWoods LLP
Outside Counsel:
Mayer Brown LLP
Financial Services Law Firm of the Year
Dechert LLP
Financial Services Investment Bank of the Year
Sandler O’Neill + Partners LP (Now Piper Sandler Cos.)
Financial Services Dealmaker of the Year
Kirk Lipsey, Sidley Austin LLP
Healthcare, Pharma & Biotech
Healthcare, Pharma & Biotech Deal of the Year
Merck acquires late-stage immunotherapy company Immune Design
Target: Immune Design Corp.
Investment Adviser:
Lazard Ltd.
Counsel to I-bank:
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Outside Counsel:
Cooley LLP
Acquirer: Merck & Co.
Investment Adviser:
Credit Suisse Group
Outside Counsel:
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Healthcare, Pharma & Biotech Law Firm of the Year
Ropes & Gray LLP
Healthcare, Pharma & Biotech Investment Bank of the Year
Cain Brothers (A unit of KeyBanc Capital Markets)
Healthcare, Pharma & Biotech Dealmaker of the Year
Rama Padmanabhan, Cooley LLP
Technology, Media & Telecom
Technology, Media & Telecom Deal of the Year
Colony Capital adds Digital Bridge Holdings
Target: Digital Bridge Holdings LLC
Investment Adviser:
Dean Bradley Osborne Partners LLC
Outside Counsel:
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Acquirer: Colony Capital Inc.
Outside Counsel:
Clifford Chance LLP
PR Firm:
Lambert Blicksilver
Technology, Media & Telecom Law Firm of the Year
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
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Technology, Media & Telecom Investment Bank of the Year
Houlihan Lokey Inc.
Technology, Media & Telecom Dealmaker of the Year
Kris Withrow, Fenwick & West LLP