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
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The Deal Awards 2022
In September 2022, the deals and dealmakers shaping the Deal Economy will be celebrated in the latest installment of The Deal Awards. In line with its mission of providing forward-looking intelligence across mergers and acquisitions, private equity, activism and restructuring, the Awards seek to recognize and celebrate the advisers, firms and banks driving the market forward.