Cooley Represents BASF in its $1 Billion Acquisition of Becker Underwood

Boston, Ma.  – September 20, 2012 – Cooley LLP announced that it represented BASF, one of the world's largest chemical companies, in its $1.02 billion acquisition of Becker Underwood.

Cooley represented BASF in its negotiations with Norwest Equity Partners (NEP) to acquire Becker Underwood, which has been a portfolio company of NEP since 2004. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2012.

With its global headquarters in Germany and its North American operations based in New Jersey, BASF has more than 370 manufacturing facilities and does business worldwide through six business segments that include plastics, performance products, chemicals, oil and gas exploration and production, functional solutions and agricultural products.

Becker Underwood is an Iowa-based, global provider of technologies for biological seed treatment, seed treatment colors and polymers, as well as products in the areas of biological crop protection, turf and horticulture, animal nutrition, and landscape colorants and coatings. BASF will create a business unit called Functional Crop Care to encompass the newly acquired business.

The cross-office Cooley team advising BASF was led by Boston-based partner Michael McGrail and included Miguel Vega, partner and chair of the Business and Technology group in Boston; associates Chris Kiyan and Faisal Hasan; Dan Meehan, partner and chair of the Tax practice; Tax associate Jon Rivinus; Compensation and Benefits partner David Walsh; Patent Counseling and Prosecutions partner Erich Veitenheimer; Adam Ruttenberg, chair of the firm's Technology Transactions group; Antitrust partner Francis Fryscak; International Trade partner Kevin King and associate Jessica Mols.

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