Robert E. Baute Jr.

Bob Baute practices primarily in the areas of mergers, acquisitions and general corporate law. Bob has represented a variety of private equity and venture capital funds, public and private companies, and individuals on transactions in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. He provides advice to clients on matters ranging from leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations and senior and subordinated debt financings to vendor contracts, employment and equity incentive arrangements and other general corporate matters.

Bob's experience includes the representation of:

Telecom, Networks and Spectrum

• American Tower Corporation in the acquisition of data centers located in Orlando and Atlanta operated by DataSite
• Cable One, Inc., in its acquisition of a 45% ownership stake in Mega Broadband Investments Holders LLC for $574 million and an option to purchase the remainder of the company
• Cable One, Inc., in its contribution of cable systems in Alabama to Hargray Communications in exchange for a minority interest in Hargray
• American Tower Corp. in its collaboration with Public Media Group (PMG) to enhance and expedite the delivery of Single Frequency Networks (SFNs) to the broadcast industry
• Melody Investment Advisors in its acquisition of both the Uniti Towers tower development business and over 500 U.S.-based towers from Uniti Group Inc. (NASDAQ: UNIT)
• American Tower Corp. in its acquisition of the nationwide wireless communications assets of Grain Management, including 400 towers and other related property interests
• Cable One, Inc., in its sale of 115 telecommunications towers and other related property interests to CTI Towers, Inc.
• American Tower COrp. in its acquisition of cellular communications from Municipal Communications
• Shareholders of Hibernia Networks in its approximate $590 million sale of GTT Communications Inc. (NYSE: GTT)
• Founders in the formation of a fund for participation in the FCC’s first-of-its-kind Incentive Auction, designed to repurpose spectrum for new uses
• One Source Networks, a provider of global data, Internet, SIP trunking and managed services, in its acquisition by GTT Communications, Inc. (NYSE: GTT), for $175 million
• Spectrum Equity in its sale of Choice Cable TV to Liberty Cablevision for approximately $272 million
• Senior equity investment in One Source Networks on behalf of ABRY Senior Equity IV, L.P. and its affiliated funds
• American Tower Corp. in its purchase of the top four floors and roof of the John Hancock Center along with existing telecommunications leases for $70 million
• Phoenix Tower International in its acquisition of rights to over 600 wireless communications towers from T-Mobile
• ABRY Partners and other investors in acquiring, splitting-up and delisting RCN Corporation
• Nautic Partners in the acquisition, refinancing and auction sale of a provider of cable set-top box repair and maintenance
• A cable MSO in the sale of several systems in the western United States
• Private equity-backed cable MSO Baja Broadband in the leveraged acquisition of several systems in the western United States and Baja's to TDS (NYSE: TDS)
• A high-capacity communications provider in the acquisition of a carrier neutral coloration provider
• Assisted a publicly traded cellular telecommunications company with the acquisition of cellular systems throughout the United States, as well as the negotiation of key settlement and exchange service contracts
• A broadcasting company in its $113 million acquisition of a Boston television station

Technology

• ABRY Partners in a significant minority investment in Chimney Vigor Group, a leading service provider to multinational advertisers, U.S. broadcasting companies, advertising agencies and content producer
• ABRY Partners in a significant minority investment in Asignet, the technology and automation leader of global telecom, mobile, cloud and IT asset management lifecycle expense management
• American Tower Corp. in its acquisition of Colo Atl, a colocation and meet-me room business in downtown Atlanta
• Searchlight Capital Partners and Harbortouch Payments, a national point of sale and merchant services provider, in a dividend recap of Harbortouch
• ABRY Partners in the sale of PSI Services LLC, a worldwide, industry-leading professional testing services provider, to Waud Capital Partners
• M/C Partners in the leveraged acquisition of a data storage company and in three debt financed strategic acquisitions for the company
• Data storage company Latisys Holdings in its acquisition by Zayo Group, (NYSE: ZAYA), a leading communications infrastructure services provider, for $675 million

Digital Media, Events & Publishing

• BSO Ireland in its acquisition of IX Reach, a global provider of network solutions
• Searchlight Capital Partners in its growth equity investment in PatientPoint, an operator of digital point-of-care networks for patient education
• Vendome Medquest in its sale of the the Institute for the Advancement of Behavioral Healthcare to HMP
• Convene, the nation’s fastest- growing developer of meeting and event venues, in its acquisition of assets from The Hub

Consumer/Retail

• Brynwood Partners in its sale of plant-based protein brand Lightlife Foods, Inc. to Maple Leaf Foods (MFI: TSX) for $140 million and related costs
• Nautic Partners in the leveraged acquisition of gourmet specialty beverage company Big Train Inc. and sale of Big Train Inc. to Kerry Group
• VMG Partners on its investment in PLV Studio, Inc., women’s footwear and handbag company
• VMG Partners on its investment in Kernal Season’s, a brand of popcorn seasoning
• Focal Upright Furniture in a Series A Financing and its eventual sale to strategic buyer Safco Products Co.

Other

• Leonard Valve Company, a designer and manufacturer of water temperature control valves and monitoring devices and its owners in the sale of the equity interests of Leonard Valve to Bessemer Investors
• New Amtrol Holdings, Inc. and Amtrol Inc., in the sale of Amtrol to strategic buyer Worthington Industries’ (NYSE: WOR)
• Global package and freight shipping firm Worldwide Express and its private equity and individual investors in its sale to Quad-C Partners
• Nautic Partners in the leveraged acquisition of flavor and fragrance producer Agilex, followed by several add-on acquisitions and the sale of its flavors business to strategic buyer Kerry Group and in the sale of its fragrance business to private equity buyer MidOcean Partners