Executive Committee
Gino A. Maurelli

Gino A. Maurelli

Shareholder

Background

Seasoned, practical, solution-oriented dealmaker. Twenty years of experience closing hundreds of deals with clients ranging from sophisticated private equity buyers to individual owner/entrepreneur sellers. Serves as outside corporate counsel to leading middle market companies.

Gino Maurelli’s middle market M&A and private equity practice spans four decades. Closing deals on the buy and sell side amid both bull and bear markets, he understands how to navigate different environments to get deals done. Gino prioritizes his clients’ business needs, offering legal strategies grounded in business realities. Working across industries—with a heavy emphasis on consumer products as well as health care, industrial and manufacturing, software and technology, and business services—his high deal volume means there are few issues he hasn’t encountered before. This insight allows Gino to proactively spot issues, provide solutions and ensure his clients’ transactions run as seamlessly as possible. 

Due to his noteworthy deal record and firsthand knowledge of operational issues, middle market companies frequently rely on Gino as their corporate counsel. This work is focused on a variety of commercial and corporate matters—distribution, supply chain and vendor contracts, joint ventures, equity incentive arrangements, and brand management strategy, to name a few.

Gino thrives in deal environments, persevering despite numerous challenges. His grit and problem-solving skills allow him to get even the most complex transactions done. When he’s not closing deals, you’ll find Gino climbing mountains by foot, ski and bicycle. Previously, he served as chair of the firm’s Corporate & Business Department.

Representative Matters

Recent Experience

  • Represented Bow River Capital Partners in its sale of consulting firm Strong-Bridge Envision to HCL America, Inc.

  • Represented DigitalGlobe, Inc., the leader in remote sensing and geospatial industries, in its acquisition of Tomnod, a company that analyzes imagery through crowdsourcing software. Tomnod relocated their corporate headquarters to Longmont, CO.

  • Represented Envision Healthcare Holdings, Inc. in its acquisition of VISTA Staffing Solutions from On Assignment, Inc. VISTA is a leading provider of locum tenens staffing and permanent placement services for physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, offering international placements and physician search and consulting services to hospitals, medical practices and government agencies.

  • Counsel to Encore Consumer Capital in its investment in Tourtellot & Co., a specialty distributor of high-quality fresh produce to grocery chains and independent retailers across the Northeastern United States.

  • Counsel to Bow River Capital Partners in its acquisition of and acquisition financing for Midstate Energy, L.L.C. an independent provider of comprehensive development, design and engineering services relating to infrastructure upgrades and energy efficient, asset sustainability solutions.

  • Represented Encore Consumer Capital, a San Francisco-based private equity firm focused on the consumer products industry, in its investment in Supergoop!, the only prestige beauty brand 100% dedicated to UV protection.

  • Counsel to DigitalGlobe in its acquisition of Spatial Energy, a leading source for digital imagery and related services to the energy industry.

  • Counsel to Midstate Energy, L.L.C., a portfolio company of Bow River Capital Partners, in its acquisition of and acquisition financing for Urban Energy Solutions, LLC, an independent provider of comprehensive development, design and engineering services relating to energy efficiency solutions.

  • Represented Encore Consumer Capital in its investment in Thanasi Foods, the Boulder, Colorado-based company that owns the BIGS Seeds and Duke’s Smoked Meats brands.

  • Counsel to Encore Consumer Capital in its acquisition of Full Sail Brewing Company, a craft brewery located in Oregon.

  • Counsel to American Medical Response, Inc., a subsidiary of Envision Healthcare Holdings Inc., in its acquisition of MedStat EMS, Inc., a Mississippi based ambulance company.

  • Represented Encore Consumer Capital, an innovative private equity firm investing exclusively in leading consumer products companies, in its acquisition of California Splendor.

  • Counsel to Republic Financial Corporation, a Colorado-based private investment company, it the sale of EZ Pack to Navistar.

  • Represented Breckenridge Holding Company and Breckridge-Wynkoop in the sale of Breckenridge Brewery to Anheuser-Busch. Breckenridge joined The High End, AB InBev's stable of craft-beer brands acquired in recent years, including Goose Island Beer Co., Blue Point Beer Co. and Elysian Brewing Co. Breckenridge sells its beers in 35 states and produced approximately 70,000 barrels of beer in 2015.

  • Counsel to Encore Consumer Capital in its investment in 4505 Meats Inc., a chef-driven brand of premium meat snacks, selling antibiotic-free pork rinds and cracklings.

  • Counsel to Van Law Food Products, a portfolio company of Encore Consumer Products, in its sale to Stir Foods, a portfolio company of Wind Point Partners.

  • Represented California Splendor and its largest stockholder, Encore Consumer Capital, in the sale of California Splendor to Main Street Capital Corporation (NYSE: MAIN). Based in San Diego, California, Splendor is a leading provider of frozen natural fruit ingredients.

  • Counsel to cosmetics and skin care brand Tarte, Inc., a portfolio company of Encore Consumer Capital, in its sale to Japan's KOSÉ Corporation, a Tokyo-based global cosmetics business.

  • Counsel to GlobaLinks in its sale to International Study Abroad (ISA ).

  • Counsel to Veregy, a portfolio company of Bow River Capital Partners, in its acquisition of Texas-based Four Star Fabricators and Service Company, LLC, a mechanical contracting services company, and Four Star Mechanical, LLC, a provider of plumbing, piping, and domestic water design and implementation services.

  • Represented the owners of Thanasi Foods, marketer of the Duke’s® and BIGS® snack brands, to Conagra Brands, one of North America’s leading branded food companies.

  • Represented Rise Medical Staffing, a rapidly-growing provider of travel nurse staffing solutions to hospitals and other healthcare facilities throughout the United States, in its sale to Advanced Medical Personnel Services, Inc., a portfolio company of Clearview Capital Fund III, L.P.

  • Represented Encore Consumer Capital in its investment in Navitas Naturals, a pioneer of sustainably sourced, organic superfoods.

  • Represented California Splendor, Inc. in its acquisition of Santiam River, Inc., a leader in the Northwest Blackberry industry.

  • Represented Encore Consumer Capital in its investment in Tender Belly, a Denver, Colorado, based premium bacon and pork products company.

  • Represented Encore Consumer Capital in its investment in Veggie Noodle Co., an Austin, Texas-based food brand with distribution in more than 1,800 stores in around 40 states, including major retailers like Whole Foods, Kroger and Target.

  • Represented Glenbrook Consumer Partners, a San Francisco-based investment firm that finances innovative, high-growth consumer brands, in its acquisition of Boa Technology, Inc., the Colorado-based creator of Boa closure systems used in performance footwear, action, sports, outdoor and medical products worldwide.

  • Represented Encore Consumer Capital in its acquisition of Fantasy Cookie Corporation, a leading private label and contract manufacturer of premium, innovative cookie products.

  • Counsel to Bow River Capital Partners in its acquisition of and acquisition financing for Control Technology & Solutions L.L.C., a leading energy retrofit company based in St. Louis, Missouri.

  • Represented Mesa Foods and its largest owner, Encore Consumer Capital, in the sale of Mesa Foods, a leading producer of high quality tortillas, flatbreads and taco shells, to Teasdale Foods, a leading provider of private label and branded beans, hominy, peppers, sauces, corn products and seasoning products.

  • Represented Encore Consumer Capital, a private equity firm built to help consumer products companies grow, in its acquisition of Mesa Foods, a producer, manufacturer and distributor of corn and flour products for restaurants, grocery stores, national accounts, food service and private labels. Mesa Foods is headquartered in Louisville, KY.

  • Represented American Medical Response (AMR), a subsidiary of Envision Healthcare Holdings, Inc., in its acquisition of Vital Emergency Medical Services, a full service, medical transportation company in the Central Massachusetts region.

  • Represented American Medical Response (AMR), a subsidiary of Envision Healthcare Holdings, Inc., in its acquisition of Community Emergency Medical Services, a medical transportation company serving Central Massachusetts

  • Represented EMS USA, Inc., a portfolio company of Victory Park Capital and provider of pipeline integrity, maintenance and repair services, in the sale of its Integrity Maintenance platform to First Reserve Advisors.

  • Counsel to Encore Consumer Capital in its majority investment in Seattle-based indie brand, butter LONDON.

  • Represented Republic Financial Corporation in its sale of Griffith Enterprises, LLC to Amphenol Corporation. Griffith Enterprises is a Cottonwood, Arizona-based aerospace systems and components manufacturer specializing in the production of mission-critical interconnect harnesses, electrical sub-assemblies and engine and system controls.

  • Represented Envision Healthcare Corporation, a service provider of healthcare-related services to consumers, hospitals, healthcare systems, health plans and local, state and national government entities, in its acquisition of TMS Management Group, Inc., a provider of non-emergency transportation management and brokerage services. The company is headquartered in Clearwater, FL.

  • Represented National Meter and Automation, Inc., in its sale to Badger Meter, a leading marketer and manufacturer of products using flow measurement and control technologies.

  • Represented American Medical Response in its acquisition of ComTrans.

  • Brownstein represented Encore Consumer Capital, a private equity firm that invests exclusively in leading consumer products companies, in the sale of its portfolio company MyChelle Natural Skin Care, LLC., a leading marketer of natural skin care products, to French Transit, LLC, marketer and distributor of Crystal natural deodorant brand.

  • Represented Bow River Capital in the sale of its portfolio company, AUC Group, L.P., to Argosy Capital. AUC is a leading provider of wastewater treatment solutions to municipalities, Municipal Utility Districts, and corporations primarily in the state of Texas. AUC provides a turnkey service offering composed of design, fabrication, installation, and financing of modular wastewater treatment facilities.

  • Represented EmCare, Inc. in its acquisition of Emergency Medical Services and its related entities.

  • Represented NGL Water Solutions Bakken, LLC, a subsidiary of NGL Energy Partners, in its acquisition of two salt water disposal facilities from WaterWorks Corral Creek, LLC, and Saltwater Disposal Systems, LLC. Both facilities are located in the Bakken shale play in North Dakota.

  • Represented Mi Pueblo, a portfolio company of Victory Park Capital, in its sale to an affiliate of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. Mi Pueblo is Northern California’s leading Hispanic grocery retailer. In connection with this transaction, KKR also acquired Cardenas Markets, a Southern California Hispanic grocery retailer.

  • Represented Next World Evergreen Fund, a San Francisco-based fund, in its acquisition of Alter Eco, a producer of responsibly sourced chocolate bars, truffles, coconut clusters and other food products.

  • Represented Encore Consumer Capital, LP in the sale of its portfolio company, FreshKO Produce Services, Inc., a distributor of high-quality fresh produce throughout central and northern California, to C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc., the largest wholesale grocery supply company in the United States.

  • Counsel to Canyon Bakehouse in its $205M sale to Flower Foods, one of the largest producers of packaged bakery foods in the country. We advised on the mergers and acquisitions, employee benefits and executive compensation, labor law, intellectual property and real estate aspects of the transaction. The firm’s role in the deal highlights our multidisciplinary expertise and our footprint in the natural foods industry.

  • Represented Encore Consumer Capital, a San Francisco-based private equity investment firm focused on the consumer products industry, in its acquisition of LORAC cosmetics. LORAC is a developer and marketer of branded, prestige color cosmetics that are distributed through specialty beauty retailers, department stores and online.

  • Represented the TriZetto Group, Inc. in its acquisition of Healthcare Productivity Automation, LLC, a Franklin, Tennessee based company that employs a highly advanced, cloud-based claims workflow tool, Health Mason.

  • Represented Encore Consumer Capital and other owners in the sale of Zuke’s LLC to Nestlé Purina PetCare Company.

  • Counsel to Kwik Tek, Inc., a leading designer and distributor of branded marine sporting goods and accessories, in its recently announced recapitalization by Guardian Capital Partners.

  • Counsel to Emergency Medical Services Corporation in acquisition of Saint Vincent Anesthesia Medical Group, Inc., and Golden State Anesthesia Consultants, Inc. The two companies are affiliated with each other and based in the Los Angeles, California metropolitan area. Both provide outsourced anesthesia services to hospitals in southern California.

  • Represented Encore Consumer Capital in its acquisition of VanLaw Food Products, Inc., a leading private label and contract manufacturer of liquid food products including salad dressings, sauces, marinades, syrups, beverage bases, and flavorings.

Insights & Publications

News

Credentials

Education

  • J.D., 1999, University of Denver Sturm College of Law
  • B.A., 1995, University of Colorado

Admissions

  • Colorado
  • Supreme Court of Colorado

Recognition

AWARDS:

"Gino is extremely passionate about his work and is one of the best outside counsels I have ever worked with. I look to him for guidance on complex matters and truly appreciate his viewpoints and level of experience." "He is a trusted advocate and legal guru." – Chambers USA, 2023

"He is very responsive, knowledgeable and understands the nuances of our business."  – Chambers USA, 2021

Chambers USA, 2013-2023

Best Lawyers in America, 2017-2024

5280 Top Lawyers, 2015-2024

Law Week Colorado, Barrister's Best, 2015, 2023

Colorado Super Lawyers, 2013-2023

Colorado Super Lawyers, Rising Stars, 2009-2012