Meet Brett
Brett Koeller is a shareholder in our Milwaukee office and co-chair of the firm’s Corporate practice, which includes, among others, our firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity, Startups & Venture Capital and Securities practices. Brett’s practice focuses primarily on buy-and-sell-side acquisitions, debt and equity financings, and general business law issues.
Brett’s transactional experience includes representative matters involving both strategic and financial buyers and public and privately-held sellers, as well as registered investment advisers and tribally-owned businesses. In addition to his broad experience as a transactional adviser, Brett regularly consults with clients on general corporate structure, contract, risk management and other business law concerns and in this manner acts as outside general counsel to a number of the firm’s privately-held clients.
Brett joined the firm in 2002 and served on the firm’s Associates, Marketing and Recruiting Committees before becoming co-chair of the corporate team.
Brett is a member of the Board of Directors of the Potosi Brewing Company, which supports and is wholly-owned by the Potosi Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, each located in his hometown Potosi, Wisconsin. Brett is a former member of the Steering Committee for the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference and has served as a panel moderator.
Education
Juris Doctor, University of Michigan Law School, 2002, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, Michigan Law Review
Bachelor of Arts, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1999, Political Science and International Relations, with honors
Activities
Potosi Brewing Company Board of Directors
Wisconsin Leads: Executive Fellowship Program - Class of 2022
Honors
Listed in The Best Lawyers in America (Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, 2018 - present)
Recognized as a Wisconsin Rising Star (2011 - 2016)
Recognized as a Wisconsin Super Lawyer (2018 - present)
Recognized by Chambers USA (Corporate/M&A, 2021 - present)
Admitted To Practice
WisconsinProfessional Associations
American Bar Association, Milwaukee Bar Association, State Bar of WisconsinBelow is a listing of certain publicly disclosed M&A transactions.
A & A Manufacturing Co., Inc. - Sale to Audax Group and acquisition of Lead Screws International, Inc.
Ariens Company - Sale of its Stens Parts business to Arrowhead Electrical Products, a portfolio company of The Riverside Company
Baird Financial Corporation - Acquisition of Chautauqua Capital Management, LLC
Blackthorne Partners Ltd. - Acquisitions of Berlon Industries, LLC, Group Basis, LLC, Goeman’s Wood Products, Inc., Hughes Equipment Company, LLC, Design Specialties LLC and Schaefer Brush LLC; sale of Group Basis, LLC to TriCore Solutions; and formation of ManageCore LLC
Broadview Advisors LLC - Acquisition of investment advisory business and fund reorganization
Cleary Gull - Sale of Cleary Gull Wealth Management and Investment Advisory to Johnson Financial Group and split-out of Cleary Gull Investment Banking
Concordia University Wisconsin, Inc. - Affiliation and merger with Concordia University Ann Arbor
DataQuick Lending Solutions, Inc. - Acquisition of Rels Title
DiscountRamps.com, LLC - Majority sale to Rotunda Capital Partners
ExactBid LLC - Acquisition of Narrative1 Software
Frank Beverage Group - Acquisition of Beer Capitol Distributing
Frontegra Asset Management, Inc. - Sales of investment advisory businesses and fund reorganizations
Goldner Hawn Private Equity - Acquisition of Mid Valley Industries, LLC
Heavy Duty Ramps LLC - Sale to DiscountRamps.com, a portfolio company of Rotunda Capital Partners
Management of California Products Corporation (CPC) - Sale of CPC by Delos Capital to Audax Group
Marshall & Ilsley Corp. - Acquisitions of Delta Asset Management, First Indiana Corp., Taplin, Canida & Habacht, Inc. and Trustcorp
MetalTek International, Inc. - Acquisition of Sandusky International Inc. and Mackson Inc.
Northern Engraving Corporation - Sale to Lawrence Automotive Interiors
Northern Star Industries, Inc. - Sale of BOSS Snowplows Division to The Toro Company
Northern Wire LLC - Sale to Elgin Fastener Group, LLC
Northland Stainless, Inc. - Sale to Samuel Manu-Tech (U.S.) Inc.
Potawatomi Business Development Corporation - Acquisition of Redhawk Network Engineering, Inc. by existing portfolio company and Milwaukee Data Center Project
Progeny, Inc. - Sale to Midmark Corporation
R & B Wagner, Inc. - ESOP recapitalization
ReGENco LLC - Sale to Toshiba International Corporation
Schneider Logistics - Sale of Schneider Logistics Europe s.r.o. to ExlService Holdings, Inc.
Sportsman Channel, Inc. - Sale to InterMedia Partners
StoneRiver National Flood Services, Inc. - Acquisition of Division of Computer Sciences Corporation
Super Steel Products Corp. - Management Buy-out, Ownership Transition and Financing Matters
TEC Midwest - Sale to Vistage International
UMB Fund Services, Inc. - Acquisition of Managed Account Solutions business of J.P. Morgan Worldwide Securities Services
United Milwaukee Scrap LLC - Combination with Schulz’s Recycling, Inc.
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services LLC - Strategic alliance with TS Capital, LLC
Wacker Neuson Corporation - Acquisition of Ground Heaters, Inc.
W.T. Walker Group Inc. - Sale of Walker Forge Tennessee to Bharat Forge Ltd.
Ward Adhesives, Inc. - Sale to Ellipse Capital
WhiteLight Group LLC - Sale to Venture Technologies and management rollover