Emilio Grandío

Partner, Houston

Biography

Overview

Emilio Grandío is a partner in the Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group, and is resident in the Houston office.

Emilio regularly advises financial and strategic investors in connection with domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, divestitures, restructurings, reorganizations and joint ventures in a broad range of industries, including power (renewables and conventional), oil & gas, infrastructure, technology, retail and industrials. He has significant experience in cross-border transactions, particularly in the Latin America and US markets.

Emilio was recognized in Latinvex 2018 as a rising legal star in Latin America. He was also ranked as a "Next Generation Partner" for Corporate/M&A in The Legal 500 Latin America 2024.

Bars and Courts
Texas State Bar
Mexico
Education
JD
University of Houston Law Center
LLB
Universidad Anáhuac del Norte
Languages
English
Spanish

Experience

Recent matters include the representation of:

Energy & Infrastructure

  • GenOn Holdings, in the sale of the Bowline Power Project, located in New York, to affiliates of Rockland Power Partners.
  • Affiliates of Beal Bank USA, in the sale of the Temple 2 Generating Station to BKV-BPP Power, LLC, a joint venture between BKV Corporation and Banpu Power US Corporation. Temple 2 is located in Texas.
  • Jera Americas, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based JERA, Japan's largest power generation company, on its acquisition of four thermal power generating facilities in New England, with a combined capacity of 1,633 MW, from Stonepeak. The portfolio consists of four thermal power generating facilities: Canal 1 (566 MW), Canal 2 (559 MW) and Canal 3 (333 MW) in Sandwich, Massachusetts on Cape Cod and Bucksport (175 MW) in Bucksport, Maine.
  • Siemens Financial Services, a division of Siemens AG, in connection with BlackRock's Climate Finance Partnership's (CFP) acquisition of a significant minority stake in Brasol Participações e Empreendimentos SA, a Brazilian solar developer and energy transition company in which Siemens held a 49% stake prior to CFP's investment.
  • Mainstream Renewable Power, on a cross-border restructuring transaction that (i) restructures approximately US$1.5 billion in liabilities while permitting the equity sponsor to maintain its majority ownership in its borrower and project subsidiaries; (ii) resolves restructuring / insolvency proceedings and related litigation in the US, Chile, Ireland and Spain; and (iii) enables wind and solar projects vital to the Chilean power grid to proceed to completion and full operation.
  • Sonnedix, a leading energy producer majority, on its acquisition of the ARCO renewable energy portfolio in Chile, including wind and solar power plants with a combined capacity of 290 MW.
  • Sellagic Investments, a privately held owner and developer of renewable energy assets in the Dominican Republic, in the sale of a non-controlling interest in a Dominican wind farm to a European infrastructure fund.
  • EIG Global Energy Partners, a leading institutional investor in the global energy and infrastructure sectors, and Belgian LNG terminal operator Fluxys, in the US$1.16 billion joint acquisition of an 80% equity stake in GNL Quintero S.A., the largest liquefied natural gas regasification terminal in Chile, from Enagas Chile SpA and affiliates of OMERS Infrastructure.
  • Operadora y Perforadora Mexicana, in the acquisition of the remaining 49% equity interest in OPEX Perforadora and Akal Perforadora, two of the largest drilling services providers in Mexico, from Borr Drilling.
  • A leading private equity sponsor, on its acquisition of a 68MWp solar PV plant located in Aguascalientes, Mexico.*
  • A leading developer and operator of civil airports, on its acquisition of nine airports and three partial management contracts.*

Technology

  • bolttech Holdings Ltd., an international insurtech company, in its US$180 million series A equity financing round, which valued bolttech at more than US$1 billion - giving bolttech unicorn status only one year after its launch in 2020, and in its US$247 million series B equity financing round, which valued bolttech at more than US$1.4 billion.
  • QuintoAndar, Ltd., a proptech unicorn startup company which has developed a real estate marketplace focused on rentals and sales, in its acquisition of Navent Group's real estate portals and operations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Venezuela. This transaction has been recognized as "M&A Private Deal of the Year" by Latin Lawyer.
  • Navent Group, a portfolio company of QuintoAndar, a Brazilian real estate platform that simplifies the rental of residential real estate for landlords and renters, in its acquisition of Adevinta's Mexican online classifieds businesses.
  • PayJoy, a leading US-based firm engaged in providing access to consumer finance and smartphone technology to people in emerging markets worldwide, in its cash and stock acquisition of Adelantos, a Latin American processor of micro-loans for consumer products.  Adelantos had a regional presence in Panama, Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia and Peru.
  • PayJoy México, a subsidiary of PayJoy, as borrower on an MXN$2,000 million revolving credit facility (approximately US$100 million) provided by Banco Nacional de México, S.A., integrante del Grupo Financiero Banamex.

Industrials and Manufacturing

  • Schneider Electric, a global player in energy management and automation:
    • in its US$2.1 billion (₹14,000 crore) acquisition of Larsen & Toubro Electrical & Automation business and the subsequent consortium between Schneider Electric's partnership with Temasek Holdings Private Limited. The transaction was named "Cross-Border M&A Deal of the Year (Over US$1 billion)" by the M&A Advisor (2020); and
    • in the formation of a joint venture with Huck Capital and certain individuals that will comprise the management team of the newly launched joint venture, which will deliver energy-as-a-service projects in the North America market up to 10MW in size.
  • Ultrapar Participações S.A., the leading Brazil-based fuel distributor, in the US$1.3 billion sale of its specialized chemicals unit Oxyteno to Thailand's Indorama Ventures PCL. The transaction included all of Oxyteno's operations in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, United States, and Uruguay.
  • Sole Source Capital LLC, an industrial-focused private equity firm, on its acquisitions of:
    • Peak-Ryzex from Keystone Capital; and
    • Optical Phusion Inc. from its founders.
  • Itron Inc., a leading technology and service company, in the sale of its subsidiaries comprising its manufacturing and sales operations in Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Argentina.
  • 7 Bridges Capital Partners, a leading real estate investor in Latin America, and its private equity sponsor, one of the largest investment firms in the world, on the acquisition and acquisition financing of a portfolio of 40 industrial properties located throughout Mexico.

Consumer Services

  • Credito Real S.A.B. de C.V. SOFOM ENR, in the sale of its majority stake in Credito Real USA Finance LLC, a financial services company that provides auto loans in the United States.
  • Levi Strauss & Co., on its acquisitions of:
    • approximately 80 retail locations and over 400 employees in Bolivia, Chile and Peru from The Jeans Company (TJC); and
    • its exclusive distributor in Colombia.
  • One of Mexico's largest infrastructure developers, in connection with its acquisition of a majority interest in the Four Seasons Caye Chapel Resort on the island of Caye Chapel, Belize.  The resort will include a high-end luxury hotel operated under the Four Seasons brand, private residences, a marina and a brand new 18-hole championship golf course.
  • A Mexican conglomerate, in the negotiation of a multi-million equity joint venture with RBI for the development of the master franchise of Tim Horton's casual dining restaurants in Mexico.
  • A US private equity backed company, in its acquisition of a Mexican franchisee and operator of Little Caesars' restaurants across Mexico.

De-Spac Transactions

  • Deerfield Healthcare Technology Acquisitions Corp. (NASDAQ: DFHT), a SPAC, in its US$614 million business combination with CareMax Medical Group LLC and IMC Medical Group Holdings LLC, technology-enabled providers of value-based care to seniors.
  • DFP Healthcare Acquisitions Corp. (NASDAQ: DFPH, DFPHW), a SPAC, in its US$842 million business combination with The Oncology Institute, a US market-leader in value-based oncology care.

*Matters worked on prior to joining White & Case.

Awards and Recognition

Next Generation Partner, Corporate/M&A, The Legal 500 Latin America, 2024

Named a rising legal star in Latin America by Latinvex 2018