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Engineered Plastic Systems ("EPS"), an engineer and manufacturer of high-density polyethylene ("HDPE"), announced its acquisition by CMI Limited Co. ("CMI"), a Georgia-based manufacturing portfolio company of Capital Partners. HMB represented EPS in the transaction. EPS is headquartered in Elgin, Illinois and manufactures HDPE for decking, railing and park products among others. Founded in 2000, EPS markets its products under Lumberock,…

The ongoing issues related to the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) have had and will continue to have significant impact on individuals, families, businesses and markets.  We know that many of you are affected and share our concerns regarding the safety and well-being of our friends and our staff and we hope you and your families are healthy and safe.…

HMB litigators Hal J. Wood and Matthew R. Barrett secured a complete victory in a recent highly contested post-transaction dispute. The team obtained summary judgment in their clients’ favor on all counts, including an award of 100% of the clients’ attorneys’ fees, resulting in a total judgment of over $9,000,000 in favor of HMB’s clients. HMB’s clients were the sellers…

Svoboda Capital Partners ("SCP"), a private equity firm, announced its partnership and recapitalization with Kenway Consulting ("Kenway"), a management and technology consulting firm. HMB represented SCP in the recapitalization. Under terms of the agreement, SCP has purchased a majority interest in Kenway. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. SCP is a Chicago-based private equity firm that invests in…

Foxtrot, a modern convenience store offering in-store and delivery options, announced that it raised $17 million in a funding round co-led by Imaginary Ventures and Wittington Ventures and joined by previous investors Fifth Wall, Lerer Hippeau, Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, M3 Ventures, The University of Chicago, Collaborative VC and Wasson Enterprises as well as new investors Bluestein…

2020 Illinois Super Lawyers John W. Guzzardo Richard M. Horwood Fred O. Marcus Jeffrey A. Zaluda 2020 Illinois Super Lawyers - Rising Stars Matthew R. Barrett Nathan E. Delman Brett M. Winterstein Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process…

One attorney from HMB's Litigation Group has been named as a 2020 Illinois Super Lawyer. Additionally, three attorneys were named to the 2020 Illinois Rising Stars list. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding attorneys from over seventy practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The following HMB attorney was selected for…

Mark-It Express Logistics LLC ("Mark-It"), a leading Midwest intermodal trucking and freight brokerage company, acquired Spirit Trucking Company ("Spirit"), a Chicago-based trucking company. HMB represented Mark-It in the acquisition of operating assets. Mark-It, founded in 2009 and recently named to Crain Chicago's Fast 50 for the second time and INC. 5000 for the fourth time, offers a full array of third-party…

NextLevel Health Innovations, Inc. ("NextLevel"), a managed care health plan for Cook County residents with Medicaid known for its community involvement, has signed a Merger Agreement with Molina Healthcare, Inc. ("Molina"), a FORTUNE 500 company. HMB represented NextLevel in the negotiation and signing of the Merger Agreement. As part of the transaction, Molina will assume the right to serve approximately…

Jim and Katie were recommended by their peers and approved by the Leading Lawyers Advisory Board to be 2020 Leading Lawyers. The list of Leading Lawyers is the result of contact with thousands of lawyers within their respective region and/or area(s) of law. Only those lawyers who are most often recommended, and later approved by the Advisory Board, are selected.…

Chicago, IL December 12, 2019 HMB Legal Counsel, a preeminent provider of legal services in Business and Finance, State and Local Tax, Trusts and Estates, Bankruptcy, Reorganization and Creditors' Rights, Real Estate and Litigation announced that three associate attorneys were elevated to partner. (more…)…

Chicago, IL January 8, 2020 HMB Legal Counsel, a preeminent provider of legal services in Business and Finance, State and Local Tax, Trusts and Estates, Bankruptcy, Reorganization and Creditors' Rights, Real Estate and Litigation announced the 2020 Practice Chairs. John W. Guzzardo will lead the firm's Litigation Group, taking over for Rick S. Rein. As a practice group leader, John…

Slumberkins, makers of tools for early emotional learning, has secured $2.8 million in its Series Seed funding round led by Listen Ventures and SeaChange Fund. HMB represented Listen Ventures in their investment. Listen Ventures, a consumer-only venture capital firm focused on backing and building the brands of tomorrow, invests in ambitious entrepreneurs who challenge traditional thinking. This capital injection comes…

For her articles focusing on Illinois and Cook County Tax Law, including those on Chicago and Cook County Amusement Tax and Applying the Chicago Lease Transaction Tax to "Cloud" Software Products, Sam is named a 2019 National Law Review Go-To Thought Leader. 75 authors from a pool of over 100,000 legal news articles published by the National Law Review in…

Leaf Trade, a technology company whose wholesale ordering platform connects licensed cannabis vendors and dispensaries, announced that it raised $4.5 million in a funding round led by HPA and Duke Software Investments. HMB represented Hyde Park Angels (HPA) in their investment. HPA's people-first approach provides unique value to entrepreneurs and investors. HPA will be actively involved in Leaf Trade at…

Hal Wood was named to the Law Firm Alliance's Board of Directors. The LFA is an international network of mid-sized law firms where members collaborate to share knowledge, experience and jurisdictional expertise to benefit their clients. The LFA provides a wealth of trusted resources for our clients and virtually expands our attorney network worldwide.…

HMB represented Colony Display LLC in its sale to Kinzie Capital Partners LLC, a Chicago-based private equity firm. Colony Display is a leader in highly customized fixtures and displays servicing the home improvement, retail and hospitality industries. Kinzie's acquisition of Colony Display will see the company into the next phase of growth and provide resources to advance company strategy and…

DataCubes is the first underwriting decisioning platform for commercial property and casualty insurance. Leveraging machine learning and artificial intelligence software, DataCubes provides commercial carriers of all sizes the ability to make real-time underwriting decisions. The intelligence gathered provides efficient, accurate, and productive steps forward for DataCubes' clients. The company was founded in 2016 by Kuldeep Malik and Harish Neelamana and…

HMB represented Ascent in a $19.3 Million Series B Funding Round, led by Drive Capital. Ascent is an AI-driven solution company. Their goal is to help customers automate regulatory compliance by delivering customers regulatory knowledge in the form of a dynamic obligations register. This approach reduces the mundane and error-prone manual efforts of regulatory research and analysis. With Series B…

HMB represented EDCO Health Information Solutions Inc. in it's sale to BV Investment Partners, a middle-market private equity firm focused on the business services, software and IT sectors. Headquartered in St. Louis, MO, EDCO provides automated unstructured data indexing solutions to healthcare providers. EDCO's Solarity®, a patented medical record indexing software, gives automated transformation of unstructured data into clinically relevant patient…

On September 24, 2019, the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Thrush Aircraft, Inc. selected HMB Legal Counsel (“HMB”) as its counsel, with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Georgia approving HMB’s retention on October 2, 2019. Thrush Aircraft ( “Thrush”) is a leading designer and manufacturer and of single-engine light aircraft, primarily used in agriculture operations. Thrush…

HMB represented Launchways in a new partnership deal with Patriot Growth Insurance Services, LLC. Launchways, founded in 2009, provides business leaders with human resources consulting, employee benefits and commercial insurance solutions. Launchways has guided over 400 customers to overcome insurance and human resources challenges throughout the Midwest. The company recently moved its headquarters to Chicago to accommodate its growing employee…

9/12/19 Chicago, IL 16 HMB team members participated in the 2019 Race Judicata 5k Sprint for Justice. The race celebrates pro bono work and raises funds for Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, the city's biggest volunteer-based legal aid provider. Team HMB had a blast racing in support of the CVLS and their mission to represent Chicago's poor and working poor community.…

HMB represented A.M. Money, Inc. in an outside venture capital round led by Lightbank. Founded by Daniel Rogers based on his experience paying for college by enlisting in the United States Army and taking courses online while deployed in a combat unit in Iraq, A.M. Money is a Chicago-based social enterprise that provides low-interest, no-cosigner loans to college students from…

Sean Auton, an HMB partner and member of HMB's Business and Finance practice, gave out plenty of high-fives at Facing Forward to End Homelessness's Board/Resident picnic. Sean works with Facing Forward as a board member. Facing Forward ends the cycle of homelessness by providing housing and social services. Once critical needs such as food and housing are met, clients at…