John Gilson

John C. Gilson is a private equity attorney in Holland & Knight's Charlotte office. Mr. Gilson is a co-head of both Holland & Knight's Independent Sponsor and Search Funds teams. His practice includes a broad range of corporate transactional matters. Mr. Gilson's core practice includes the representation of strategic and financial buyers and sellers in a variety of complex business transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buyouts, carve-out transactions, structured equity products, cross-border transactions, minority equity, growth equity and venture capital investments, and joint ventures.

Mr. Gilson has extensive experience representing independent sponsors, search funds and traditional and self-funded searchers in all aspects of their transactions, including equity structuring and transaction execution. He has authored several articles and lectured on these topics.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Gilson was an attorney at law firms in New York and Charlotte.

During college, Mr. Gilson was a member of the Phi Alpha Theta historical honor society at the State University of New York at Albany. Mr. Gilson was also a two-time captain of the University at Albany men's lacrosse team and a member of the school's football team. He studied abroad in 13 different countries in Europe and the Middle East through Eastern Michigan University's European Cultural History Tour. He also served as a student teacher at an Albany middle school and public high school.

Representative Experience

• Represented Banbury Private Capital, a Charlotte-based independent sponsor focused on the aerospace, defense and industrial growth industries, in its acquisition of Turbine Engine Specialists, a leading aftermarket solutions provider of inventory-supported maintenance, repair, overhaul and distribution services to the global private aviation market
• Represented Sayres Defense, a leader in defense mission support services to the U.S. Navy, U.S. Department of Defense and broader national security community and a portfolio company of Broadtree Partners, in its add-on acquisition of Global Systems Technologies, a recognized leader in aviation security, through Sayres Defense's subsidiary, Joint Research & Development
• Represented CanSource, a Colorado-based custom packaging solutions provider and a portfolio company of Broadtree Partners, in its sale to TricorBraun, a global packaging leader offering custom design and stock packaging solutions
• Represented Washington, D.C.-based private equity firm United Western Group (UWG), in partnership with HealthEdge Investment Partners LLC and Advantage Capital Holdings LLC, in its recapitalization of Veridian Healthcare LLC, a leading outsourced manufacturer of private label and branded in-home diagnostic, pain care management and personal care products
• Represented a North Carolina-based independent sponsor in its sale of a manufacturing and technology company to a private equity-backed supplier and servicing provider
• Represented a North Carolina-based independent sponsor and its portfolio company in the acquisition of an inventive technology agency with a focus on subscription-based commerce
• Represented an Illinois-based independent sponsor in its acquisition of a Pennsylvania-based leading provider of specialized medical equipment repair services
• Represented private equity firm Kaho Partners and its portfolio company Addtronics in the acquisition of Bow Robotics, a leading robotic parts manufacturer and repair provider
• Represented a North Carolina-based independent sponsor in its acquisition of a leading North Carolina general contractor and construction company
• Represented a Pennsylvania-based independent sponsor in its acquisition of a leading developer of electrochemical research and development instrumentation and software
• Represented Broadtree Partners, a private equity firm, and its portfolio company in the cross-border acquisition of a Philippines-based provider of digital marketing solutions to agencies worldwide
• Represented Broadtree Partners in its acquisition of Joint Research and Development (JRAD), a leading provider of test and evaluation services, total life cycle acquisition support, medical and public health preparedness, and science and technology research and development to government customers
• Represented a North Carolina-based company specializing in the production of metal conveyor or power transmission chains for the glass sector in its cross-border sale to a private equity-backed leader in the niche market of designing, producing and marketing mechanical parts and electronic equipment in Europe
• Advised Broadtree Partners in its acquisition of Triage Partners, a Tampa, Florida-based technology-enabled software and service provider to the telecom and reverse logistics industries
• Assisted the team representing MedShift LLC, a leading medical technology provider based in North Carolina, in $108 million of new financing in connection with three separate debt financing transactions, including a $45 million credit facility for general working capital, up to $35 million in equipment financing and a $28 million credit facility to MedShift's equity investor
• Represented a California-based independent sponsor in its investment in a leading alternative energy system provider in California
• Represented Kaho Partners, a New York-based private equity firm, and its portfolio company Addtronics in the acquisition of Missouri Tooling and Automation LLC (MTA), a leading custom robotic automation systems provider
• Represented a California-based independent sponsor in its acquisition of a leading software development firm and certified Oracle NetSuite Solution Provider partner with a focus on financial automation
• Represented Broadtree Partners and its portfolio company in the acquisition of a digital marketing agency in Arizona
• Represented Kaho Partners and its portfolio company Addtronics in the acquisition of North Carolina-based Dynamic Design Solutions LLC, a leading provider of custom robotic automation systems
• Represented a North Carolina-based independent sponsor in its acquisition of a leading provider of website and e-commerce development solutions
• Represented a North Carolina-based digital marketing agency in its cross-border sale to a European private equity-backed global business transformation agency specializing in digital services and business transformation