Matthew Meyers of Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath. Courtesy photo

Matthew Meyers, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath

In 2020, Meyers served as lead adviser to Cott Corp. on two substantial and marquee transactions. In January, the publicly traded beverage manufacturer acquired publicly traded Primo Water for $775 million, in which Meyers led a team of M&A, regulatory, corporate finance and antitrust attorneys. In February, Meyers represented Cott in its $405 million sale of subsidiary S&D Coffee & Tea. The tandem transactions were transformative for the client—following the closing of the Primo acquisition in March, Cott rebranded itself as Primo Water Corp., capping a strategic transformation over a multi-year arc driven by several key M&A deals managed by Meyers, including a $1.25 billion transaction in 2017. These examples highlight Meyers's long-established relationship with this client, which dates to his first year as an associate. He serves as their principal U.S. securities counsel in addition to handling M&A matters.

Many anticipated deals were put on pause during the tumult of 2020. How did you overcome these obstacles?

Lawyers and clients all saw the same pause in mid-March 2020. Most transactions close to the finish line found a way to get done, but amid the uncertainty many new M&A processes paused and issuers held off on capital markets activity due to the market downturn. We quickly organized a COVID-19 Task Force to monitor and respond to the pandemic-related issues our clients faced, and we saw activity around the PPP as we helped clients assess eligibility and apply for loans. As it became apparent that remote work was going to be a long-term proposition for many, transaction participants adapted. By June, deal flow picked up pace, returning to and even exceeding pre-pandemic levels by the Fall. By standing by clients through the uncertainty at the beginning of the pandemic, we were well-positioned to hit the ground running when deal activity returned.