Biography
Andrew Colao is Co-Head of Weil’s Banking & Finance practice and is based in New York. He is the leader of the Firm’s Private Equity Finance practice. Andrew primarily represents private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in leveraged and corporate finance transactions across a wide range of industries.
Andrew is widely recognized as a market leader in structuring and negotiating financings. He is recognized as a leading lawyer for Banking & Finance by Chambers Global and Chambers USA, where clients note that he is a “true expert in leveraged finance” who is “smart, focused and has a lot of good experience” and is “commercial, practical and knows exactly where the market is.” Andrew is also recognized as a “Market Leader” for Banking in the U.S. by IFLR1000 and is recommended for Bank Lending by Legal 500 US. He has been recognized by Super Lawyers for Banking and named among Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Dealmakers in America” list.
Experience
- American Securities and its portfolio companies in transactions involving Acuren, Air Methods Corporation, Blue Bird Corporation, Chromaflo Technologies Corporation, Conair Corporation, CPM Holdings, Inc., FleetPride, Inc., Foundation Building Materials, Inc., FullBloom Education, Henry Company LLC, LaserShip, Inc., MW Industries, Inc., NAPA Management Services Corporation, NN, Inc., OnTrac Logistics, Inc., Paragon Medical Inc., RealManage, LLC, Royal Adhesives and SOLV Energy LLC
- The Anthem Entertainment Group Inc. in a $400 million senior secured revolving facility to refinance existing indebtedness and for other corporate purposes
- Aspen Aerogels, Inc. in a $100 million senior secured term facility for Aspen Aerogels Georgia, LLC
- Aterian Investment Partners and its portfolio companies in transactions involving 32500 Central Avenue, Electrochem Solutions, Inc., Hain Pure Protein, Indianhead Plating, Inc., Pioneer Metal Finishing, LLC, Stewart Tubular Products, Inc. and Vander-Bend Manufacturing, LLC
- Blackstone and its portfolio companies in transactions involving Allied Benefit Systems, LLC, Amergint Technologies, Aqua Finance, Concert Golf Partners and Ipreo Holdings
- Cava Group, Inc., a portfolio company of T. Rowe Price Group, in a senior secured revolving facility
- Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and Carestream Dental LLC in its senior secured term loan and revolving facility
- Cornell Capital Partners and its portfolio companies in transactions involving HCT Group Holdings Limited, INW Manufacturing LLC, kdc/one Development Corporation, Inc., PureStar Linen Group LLC, the manufacturing business of Swallowfield plc and Zobele Holding S.p.A.
- Dave & Buster’s, Inc. in $500 million senior secured facilities
- Flexera Software LLC in its $1.95 billion first lien senior secured term loan facility; $1.7 billion first and second lien term and revolving facilities to finance its acquisition by Thoma Bravo; in its incremental senior secured term loan facility to finance the acquisition of Snow Software and its $210 million incremental second lien senior secured term loan facility
- Focus Financial Partners, LLC in $1.2 billion senior secured facilities
- Fortress Investment Group LLC, as borrower, in its $940 million senior secured term and revolving facility
- Healogics, Inc. (a portfolio company of Clayton Dubilier & Rice, Partners Group and Northwestern Mutual) in senior secured term and revolving restructuring facilities to refinance existing indebtedness
- Mudrick Capital Management in an $825 million secured term facility for its portfolio company Dex Media, Inc. (n/k/a Thryv) and Thryv Holdings, Inc. in $875 million senior secured term and ABL revolving facilities to finance its acquisition of Sensis Pty Ltd. and to extend and refinance existing commitments and outstanding indebtedness
- OMERS Private Equity and its portfolio companies in transactions involving Accelerated Rehabilitation Centers, Document Technologies Inc., Epiq Systems, Inc., Essential Services Holding Corporation, Inmar, Inc., Great Expressions Dental Centers, Inc., The Kenan Advantage Group, Inc., Outcome Group Holdings, Inc. (d/b/a Paradigm), Paradigm Outcomes, Premise Health, Pueblo Mechanical & Controls and TurnPoint Services
- Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and its portfolio companies in transactions involving APCO Holdings, Inc., Arterra Wines Canada, Inc., BroadStreet Partners, Inc., Flexera Software LLC, Flynn Restaurant Group, LP, Heartland Dental Care, LLC, PhyNet Dermatology LLC, Trivium Packaging, Vantage Elevator Solutions and Westland Insurance Group Ltd
- Snow Phipps Group (n/k/a TruArc Partners) and its portfolio companies in transactions involving Academy Fire Life Safety, Brook and Whittle Holdings, Corp., Cascade Environmental, LLC, DecoPac, Inc., Efficient Collaborative Retail Marketing Company, LLC, Electric Guard Dog, LLC (n/k/a AMAROK, LLC), Familia Foods, Inc., FeraDyne Outdoors, LLC, HCTec Corporation, Ideal Tridon Holdings, Inc., Kele, Inc., Teasdale Latin Foods and ZeroChaos, Inc.
- SoftBank Group Corp. in $1.5 billion senior secured facilities to finance in part its $3.3 billion acquisition of Fortress Investment Group LLC
- Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC (a portfolio company of Brookfield Business Partners) in $6 billion amended senior secured term facilities
Andrew also has advised in numerous restructurings including iFit, Healogics and Halcón Resources.
Andrew has served on Weil’s Governance Committee, Investment Committee and Professional Relations Committee. He is active in a number of pro bono and community activities, including as General Counsel of New Heights Youth.
Before joining Weil, Andrew practiced in the New York office of another global law firm and clerked for Judge Lawrence M. McKenna in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.