Overview

Chuck began his career as a tax and estate planning specialist in the 1970s. As his practice expanded to general business representation of privately owned and publicly held clients and their owners and executives, Chuck’s specialty became negotiating and counseling publicly owned and privately held business clients on merger, acquisition and divestiture transactions.

Transactions involve the sale of businesses for retiring owners to publicly held acquirers, private equity investors and strategic buyers. Chuck also directs multiple financing transactions for clients involving acquisitions, lines of credit, revolvers, equipment loans and term loans.

Chuck’s most recent publication is an article for the American Bar Association publication Business Law Today concerning counseling the entrepreneur in the purchase and sale of a business.

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Experience

CLOSELY HELD BUSINESS SERVICES

• Chuck’s involvement focuses on the day-to-day business operations, negotiating and drafting sales and supplier contracts, owner relationships, governance and planning for all types of businesses, borrower side financing, capital raising, acquisitions, sales and divestitures of businesses, and exit planning and retirement.

BUSINESS SERVICES

• Chuck focuses on acquisitions, divestiture and mergers of businesses in all industries with specific experience in aerospace, wholesale/distribution and manufacturing.

• Chuck counsels national, local and regional businesses in negotiating and closing acquisitions and divestitures in many industries, advising on strategic planning, contract drafting and negotiation, business expansion, liquefying invested capital, resolving shareholder/partner relations and disputes, and financing transactions. Recent transactions involved the sale of a large manufacturer, merger of insurance agencies and acquisitions of distribution and manufacturing businesses.

• Chuck’s industry experience as counsel includes broadcasting, moving and storage, records management, biochemical products, propane gas, precision metal forming, automobile dealerships, printing, wood products, arts and crafts, machine tool, food brokerage, marine engineering, chemicals, plastics, wholesale distribution, software developers and computer services.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• On behalf of borrowers, Chuck has negotiated and closed bank loans, venture capital loans, mezzanine financing packages and other public and private financing vehicles from single sources, multiple lenders and private placements of debt and equity securities. Financing activities recently involved bank loan re-negotiations involving a deceased partner’s buyout, software business financing, and private placements for software and service businesses.

Recognition

• AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Presentations

• “How to Legally Organize Your StartUp Business,” Kent State University’s Blackstone LaunchPad Legal Event Series, Kent, Ohio, April 2, 2013

• “Section of Business Law, Small Business Committee Forum on New Tax Laws Affecting Business Entities,” American Bar Association, Charles R. Schaefer, 2005 Spring Meeting

Associations

• Chuck participates in a variety of community activities. He served as vice president and trustee of the Cleveland Area Development Financing Corporation and its successor, Growth Capital Corporation, and chair of its Loan Servicing Committee. He has also served on the Finance and Budget Committee of Montefiore Home for the Aged.

• Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association

• Baldwin-Wallace College Family and Small Business Institute – One of the Institute Founders

• Ohio State Bar Association

• American Bar Association – Business Law and Taxation Sections, Small Business Committee