Sidley is representing Brand Velocity Partners (BVP) and its portfolio company BBQGuys in connection with the pending merger of BBQGuys with Velocity Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ:VELO), a special purpose acquisition vehicle (SPAC). BVP and other strategic investors (including the Manning family and LaDainian Tomlinson) acquired BBQGuys in August 2020. The transaction has a pro forma equity value of US$963 million. BBQGuys is leading e-commerce retailer of higher-end grills, grilling accessories, and outdoor living products for both homeowners and professional builders. BVP is an innovative private equity firm focused on acquiring and growing niche consumer businesses. VELO is sponsored by the &vest investment platform.
This transaction is being led by New York Private Equity partner Brien Wassner, Century City Private Equity partner Josh DuClos as well as New York Capital Markets partners Sam Gandhi and David Ni. Corporate associates John Stribling, Alan Sun, Adrian Zhang, Josh Barkow, and Alyssa Reid were instrumental in completing this transaction.
Other members of the deal team included: corporate partners Johnny Skumpija and Josh Thompson as well as associates Tanner Groce, Justin Pitcher, Daniel Schwartz, and Sabina Wahl; Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation partners Dave Mollo-Christensen and Benjamin Rosemergy as well as associate Richard Schneider III; Technology and IP Transactions partner Jennifer Coplan as well as associates E. Kyle Barnett and Grace Walton; Privacy and Cybersecurity partner Alan Charles Raul and associate Lauren Kitces; Tax partner Chris Brause as well as associates Nathan Enfield, Lena Qiu, and Alvin Wang; Environmental counsel Maureen Crough; Antitrust partner Karen Kazmerzak and associate Jamie Sadler; Investment Funds partner David Kreisler; Global Arbitration and Trade Advocacy partners Jen Fernandez and Howard Stanislawski as well as associate Lindsay Bernsen Wardlaw; and partners Alex Kaplan, Nicholas Crowell, and Michael D. Mann and associates Natalie Chan, Brian Earl, Abigail Hudson, and Emily Morgan.