Mr. Bland’s clients are from diverse sectors of the global economy—petrochemicals, refineries, energy services, private equity funds, investment bankers/deal sponsors, startup and venture capital investors, technology, manufacturing, construction, chemicals, healthcare and airlines—and take the forms of corporations, master limited partnerships, joint ventures, partnerships, limited liability companies and real estate investment trusts. He has been counsel in significant transactions that have involved all manner of industrial corporate assets located throughout the United States and Canada, as well as in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.

He has served as the head of Bracewell & Giuliani LLP's Corporate and Securities Section and the firm's Business Group, and is currently serving in his third term on the firm's management committee.

Representative Matters 

The leveraged acquisition by Arcadian Corporation (Memphis, Tennessee) of ammonia/urea plants in Augusta, Georgia; Savannah, Georgia; Navasota, North Carolina (terminal); Memphis, Tennessee; Wilmington, North Carolina; Lake Charles, Louisiana; Clinton, Iowa; Lima, Ohio; and Trinidad from CNC Chemicals Inc. (New York/Augusta, Georgia), Western Branch Holding Co. (Chesapeake, Virginia), Olin Corporation (Stamford, Connecticut), Hawkeye Chemical Company (Clinton, Iowa), BP Chemicals Inc. (Cleveland, Ohio), Amoco Corporation (Chicago, Illinois) and the Minister of Finance, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and related equity and debt financing. Also represented a prior LBO purchaser of the Clinton, Iowa Plant from Texaco Inc.).

The formation of Arcadian Partners L.P., a master limited partnership, the conveyance of Arcadian Corporation's plant assets to that entity and related debt and equity financings, the subsequent "roll-up" of Arcadian Partners L.P. and the subsequent acquisition of Arcadian by Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan.

The leveraged acquisition of a Texas City, Texas petrochemicals complex from Monsanto Company (St. Louis, Missouri) by Sterling Chemicals Inc. (Houston, Texas) and related debt and equity financings.

The leveraged acquisition by Sterling Chemicals Inc. of four sodium chlorate manufacturing facilities in Buckingham, Quebec; Vancouver, British Columbia; Thunder Bay, Ontario; and Grande Prairie, Alberta, from Albright & Wilson Americas, a division of Tenneco Canada Inc. (Toronto), as well as an operating unit which is a worldwide supplier of patented technology used by paper mills, and related debt and equity financings.

The leveraged acquisition by Cain Chemical Inc. (Houston, Texas) of an ethylene plant and related pipeline system at Chocolate Bayou (Alvin), Texas; three high-density polyethylene plants at Matagorda, Orange and Victoria Counties, Texas; an ethylene plant and pipeline system near Corpus Christi, Texas; an ethylene glycol plant in Pasadena, Texas, and a 50 percent interest in an ethylene glycol plant in Beaumont, Texas, from E.I. duPont de Nemours and Company ("DuPont") of Wilmington, Delaware; affiliates of Union Pacific Resources (Fort Worth, Texas); ICI Americas Inc. (Wilmington, Delaware); Solvay America Inc. (New York and Houston) and PPG Industries Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), related debt and equity financing and the subsequent acquisition of Cain Chemical Inc. by a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Corporation.

The leveraged acquisition by Indspec Chemical Corporation (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) of a resorcinal plant in Petrolia, Pennsylvania, from Koppers Company Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) and related debt and equity financings.

The leveraged acquisition by Texas Petrochemical Holding Corp. (Houston, Texas) from private individuals of Texas Petrochemicals Corporation (Houston, Texas) and related entities which own and operate plants in Houston, Texas, for the manufacturing, processing and sale of gasoline additives and related products, and related debt and equity financings.

The leveraged acquisition by Mail-Well Inc. (Denver, Colorado) of manufacturing businesses located throughout the United States and Canada from an affiliate of Georgia-Pacific Corporation (Atlanta, Georgia) and from other sellers headquartered in Chicago, Illinois; New York; MenloPark, California; Portland, Oregon and various Canadian provinces, related debt and equity financings and subsequent IPO.

The leveraged acquisition of Purina Mills Inc. (St. Louis, Missouri), an animal nutrition products company with plants throughout the United States, from BP America Inc. (Cleveland, Ohio), related debt and equity financings, subsequent add-on acquisitions and the subsequent acquisition of Purina by Koch Agriculture Co. (Wichita, Kansas).

The leveraged acquisition by SDI Holding Corp. (Greenville, South Carolina) of DuPont's diagnostic imaging business with facilities in Glasgow, Delaware and Brevard, North Carolina and operations in South America and Europe as well as the United States, related debt and equity financings, subsequent add-on acquisitions, the subsequent spin-off of certain assets to a liquidating trust for the benefit of stockholders and the disposition of those assets and the merger of SDI with a subsidiary of Agfa Gevaert N.V. (Mortsel, Belgium).

The leveraged acquisition of AXIA Incorporated (Houston, Texas) which operated three separate manufacturing businesses throughout the United States and in certain foreign countries and related debt and equity financing and the subsequent acquisition of AXIA by an entity formed by Cortec Group, Inc.

The leveraged acquisition by Exopack Holding Corp. (Spartanburg, South Carolina) of the flexible packaging business, with manufacturing facilities in eight states, from International Paper Company (headquartered in Stanford, Connecticut), and related debt and equity financings and the subsequent sale of Exopack to an entity formed by a private equity fund.

The leveraged acquisition by NACG Holdings Inc. (Edmonton, Alberta) of North American Construction Group, Inc. and the assets of North American Equipment Ltd. (both of Edmonton, Alberta), and related debt and equity financings. These businesses provide site preparation, mining, piling and pipeline installation services in Western Canada in connection with the development of the Canadian oil sands and other oil and gas, mineral development and construction projects, and have facilities in four Canadian provinces.

The leveraged acquisition by Propex Fabrics Holdings Inc. (Atlanta, Georgia) of the fabrics and fibers manufacturing business of BP Amoco Chemical Holding Company (Chicago, Illinois), with facilities in three states and four foreign countries, and related debt and equity financings.

The leveraged acquisition by Propex Fabrics Holdings Inc. of the synthetic fabrics, fiber solutions and industrial fabrics manufacturing business of SI Concrete Systems Corporation and SI Geosolutions Corporation (Chattanooga, Tennessee), with four manufacturing facilities in two states and related debt financing.

The acquisition by Hill-Rom Inc., a subsidiary of Hillenbrand Industries Inc, (Batesville, Indiana) of MEDIQ Incorporated (Pennsauken, New Jersey). MEDIQ Incorporated supplies patient ready equipment and related services to health care providers on a rental or sales basis through branch locations throughout the United States.

The leveraged acquisition by CST Holdings Inc. of CST Industries, inc., an international manufacturer of coated storage tanks and geodesic domes headquartered in Kansas City, Kansas and related debt and equity financing.