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Charles J. Kolin is Co-Chair of the firm’s Finance Practice. He focuses his practice on corporate, project and facility finance transactions (both domestic and cross-border), with an emphasis on private placements of debt securities (traditional and Rule 144A), leasing, bilateral and syndicated bank credit facilities, and other debt-styled investments. He represents insurance companies, pension funds, banks, finance companies and other institutional investors.

Charles has wide-ranging industry experience including power and energy, natural resources, pipelines, oil and gas, petrochemicals, airports, ship ports, real estate, production facilities, public housing, food processing, consulting, and other service industries.

Charles has broad experience handling financing transactions including general corporate financings, project and infrastructure financings, acquisition and leveraged buy-out financings, leveraged ESOP transactions, subordinated debt financings, real estate financings, secured transactions supported by various forms of real and personal property, equipment and real estate leasing transactions, documentary and standby letter of credit facilities, and pre-bankruptcy workouts and restructurings of distressed credits.

A considerable amount of Charles’ practice involves project and infrastructure financings, which include the following: structuring and financing of commercial and industrial projects; structuring, negotiating and documenting financing arrangements; negotiating lenders’ interests in project-related agreements; and structuring transactions to attain requisite credit ratings on debt securities from the rating agencies.

Concentrations

  • Corporate finance and securities
  • Domestic and cross-border institutional private placements
  • Asset-based lending
  • Conventional secured and unsecured debt finance
  • Equipment finance
  • Lease finance
  • Project finance
  • Global energy and infrastructure

Capabilities

Experience

  • Acted as Underwriter’s and Investors’ counsel in connection with US$232 million tax-exempt bond and US$58 million taxable private placement bond of the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority to finance a Public-Private Partnership (P3) to bring high-speed Internet to all 120 of Kentucky’s counties. The bond offering was selected as The Bond Buyer's 2015 "Deal of the Year."
  • US$325 million senior secured notes of Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group Pty Ltd in connection with the financing of a capital expansion project and refinancing of existing debt, secured by all assets of the Coal Terminal, including the lease of the coal terminal site pursuant to a 35-year lease concession granted by the state of New South Wales and further secured by the ship or pay contracts with the shareholders/shippers of the coal from the coal terminal.°
  • US$300 million senior secured notes of Perth Airport Pty Ltd in connection with the financing of a capital expansion project and refinancing of existing debt, secured by all assets of the airport, including the lease of the airport site pursuant to a 99-year lease concession granted by the Commonwealth of Australia.°
  • US$450 million senior secured notes of QPH Finance Co. Pty Limited, guaranteed by companies in the affiliated operating group, in connection with the financing of a capital expansion project and refinancing of existing debt, secured by all assets of the Port of Brisbane, including the lease of the port pursuant to a 99-year lease concession granted by the State of Queensland.°
  • US$600 million senior secured notes of Australia Pacific Airports (Melbourne) Pty Ltd in connection with the financing of a capital expansion project and refinancing of existing debt, secured by all assets of the Airport, including the lease of the airport site pursuant to a 99-year lease concession granted by the Commonwealth of Australia.°
  • US$300 million and a $98,863,075 Senior Secured Notes of Brisbane Airport Corporation Pty Limited in connection with the financing of a capital expansion project and refinancing of existing debt, secured by all assets of the airport, including the lease of the airport site pursuant to a 99-year lease concession granted by the Commonwealth of Australia.°
  • £200 million senior secured notes for the UK’s largest ports group, Associated British Ports ("ABP"), in relation to a partial refinancing of an existing bridge loan facility, where the notes were issued by a parent holding company of ABP and secured and guaranteed by certain affiliates.°
  • $50 million senior secured notes in connection with the financing of a participant’s TIC interest in two separate 615 MW (net) supercritical pulverized coal electric generating facilities, secured in part by facility net lease agreements entered into with a Midwestern regulated utility, as lessee.°
  • $540 million senior secured notes in connection with financing a participant’s TIC interest in a 900-megawatt coal-fired power plant, secured in part by a "take-or-pay" styled power purchase agreement entered into with a southeastern electric cooperative, and credit enhanced by a guarantee of payment by the investment grade parent during the construction period.°
  • Represented the holders of $276 million senior secured notes in connection with a restructuring and recapitalization in a leveraged lease of a 700-megawatt coal-fired steam electric generating unit, leased to a western regulated utility.°
  • $80 million limited recourse project financing for the installation of a 2000-tpd air separation unit in a synthetic coal/coke gasification plant located in Indiana.°
  • $175 million senior secured notes in connection with a refinancing of the Excel Paralubes lube oil hydrocracker facility in Lake Charles, Louisiana.°
  • $20.8 million construction and permanent loan for the construction of a coating service plant to supply protective coating services for agricultural equipment pursuant to a services offtake agreement with Caterpillar Agricultural Products, Inc.°
  • $40 million construction, term loan and working capital financing for the construction and operation of a meat processing facility and warehouse.°
  • $32 million construction and permanent loan for the construction and operation of a dairy processing, warehouse and freezer facility.°
  • $400 million first mortgage bonds of a Minnesota electric generation and transmission cooperative.°
  • $15 million first mortgage bonds of a Vermont-regulated electric transmission and distribution utility.°
  • $150 million first mortgage obligations of a Georgia electric generation and transmission cooperative.°
  • $300 million first mortgage obligations of a Colorado electric generation and transmission cooperative.°
  • $100 million first mortgage bonds of a Detroit, Michigan-regulated electric transmission and distribution utility.°
  • US$225 million senior guaranteed notes of an Alberta, Canada generation, transmission and distribution investor-owned electric utility.°
  • US$225 million senior notes of a Newfoundland and Labrador Canadian utility holding company for both regulated electric distribution utilities and non-regulated generation assets.°
  • US$50 million senior notes of a Bahamian electric generation, transmission and distribution utility located on the island of Grand Bahama.°
  • $12 million first mortgage notes of a New Mexico-regulated water utility.°
  • $40 million collateral trust notes of a holding company for regulated utility companies providing water and wastewater services in 17 states.°
  • $15 million first mortgage notes of a southern California-regulated water utility.°
  • $275 million senior notes of a Western United States global agribusiness, specializing in potato products, livestock feed, fertilizer production and mining.°
  • $165 million senior notes of a NYSE-listed agribusiness company, a leading global soy and other oilseed processor, a leading fertilizer producer and distributor, and a major U.S. food and food ingredient processor.°
  • $195 million senior notes of a Nasdaq-listed agribusiness company, with interests in the agriculture and transportation markets, including operations in grain and ethanol, railcar leasing and transportation, fertilizer/nutrients, turf products, and retail products.°
  • $995 million senior notes (traditional private placement) and $664.5 million senior notes (Rule 144A) of Ralcorp Holdings, Inc., a NYSE-listed company, engaged in the manufacturing, distribution and marketing of store brand (private label) food products.°
  • $100 million senior notes of TreeHouse Foods, Inc., a NYSE-listed company, engaged in food manufacturing for the retail grocery and foodservice distribution channels.°
  • US$325 million senior guaranteed notes of a U.S. operating company, guaranteed by its Greek parent, engaged in the production, distribution and selling of cement, mortar, ready-mix concrete, aggregates and other products for the construction industry.°
  • $650 million senior notes of an operating subsidiary of a NYSE-listed limited partnership that owns and manages coal properties and leases the coal reserves to mine operators.°
  • $300 million senior notes of a South Central United States-headquartered company owning and operating fuel and convenience travel stops with more than 200 locations in 30 states, and is also a major purchaser, reseller and transporter of gas and diesel fuel.°
  • $71.4 million secured notes of a Midwestern natural gas transmission pipeline and storage company, whose pipeline facility connects to the major pipeline systems from Canada to the southern United States.°
  • $125 million bank syndicated credit facility to a Midwestern natural gas supplier engaged in the management, procurement and transportation of natural gas energy to industrial and commercial companies and natural gas distribution companies.°
  • $650 million senior guaranteed notes of a private real estate investment company focused on the ownership, operation and management of grocery-anchored neighborhood centers, located throughout major metropolitan markets on the East Coast.°
  • $1.189 billion senior notes of a private REIT, owning and managing investments in commercial and residential property, and real estate securities on behalf of its institutional and private clients.°
    Represented institutional investors in connection with their purchase of $33.7 million mortgaged-backed trust certificates from a securitization of a portfolio of residential mortgage loans.°
  • £75.5 million senior secured notes of Metropolitan Housing Trust Limited, an English charitable housing association, secured by liens (shared pari passu with a bank group) on a pool of social housing units located throughout England.°
  • US$200 million senior secured notes of Places for People Homes Limited, an industrial and provident society, secured by liens (shared pari passu with a bank group) on a pool of social housing units located throughout England.°
  • US$100 million and £8 million senior unsecured notes of Sanctuary Housing Association, the second largest registered social landlord in the United Kingdom, managing more than 52,000 units of social housing accommodations throughout England and Scotland.°

°The above representations were handled by Mr. Kolin prior to his joining Greenberg Traurig, LLP.

  • GE Capital - Secondee in the Interest Rate Management Division, responsible for legal documentation of interest rate and currency hedging products provided to GE borrowers.
  • Transcap Associates, Inc. - Business analyst and loan officer where, among other things, responsibilities included developing and underwriting asset backed financing transactions with an emphasis on purchase order financing.

Recognition & Leadership

  • Listed, IFLR1000, "Notable Practitioner," Banking, Project Finance, 2019-2024
  • Listed, Leading Lawyers Network, 2019-2024
  • Listed, Chambers USA Guide, "Recognized Practitioner," 2016
  • Team Member, Corporate Board Member magazine and FTI Consulting Inc., one of "America’s Best Corporate Law Firms," 13th Annual Legal Industry Study, 2013

Credentials

Education
  • J.D., cum laude, University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, 1999
    • Member/Staff Editor, The John Marshall Journal of Computer and Information Law
  • B.S., Finance, John Carroll University, 1995
Admissions
  • Illinois