Jacob A. Droppers

Corporate and M&A Attorney

Jake is a member of Varnum's Corporate Services and M&A Team. Jake's focus is in business and transactional work with a strong emphasis on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), private equity, family office, venture capital and other commercial transactions. Jake also has experience with day-to-day business issues from a legal perspective and has experience in corporate structuring, succession planning, securities regulation and a wide variety of other commercial transactions. He has experience working with businesses ranging from early stage startups to mature, privately-held businesses of all sizes.

In addition to general corporate services, Jake is also co-chair of the Food Law Team. His food law experience includes compliance with FDA labeling requirements and the Food Safety Modernization Act. Jake also has representative experience with agricultural cooperatives and the Capper Volstead Act.

Jake was recently named by Best Lawyers^® as one of the 2021 "Ones to Watch," a designation given to attorneys with less than 10 years of practice in recognition of their outstanding professional excellence in private practice.

For more information, please contact Jake Droppers at 616/336-6893 or jadroppers@varnumlaw.com

Some representative M&A transactions are as follows:

Represented regional c-store distributor in negotiation and consummation of sale to privately-owned competitor.

Represented fruit juice manufacturer in sale to publicly-traded company.

Represented various startups and growing business in connection with capital raises and exit transactions.

Represented outdoor industry company in numerous acquisition and divestitures in North America.

Roll-up acquisitions for insurance brokerage, risk management benefits design firm (more than 300 transactions to date since July 2013).

Represented family office in connection with acquisition of financially-distressed produce broker and apple packer.

Represented TransNav, a privately-held plastic injection molding company in its sale to Groupe Plastivaloire, a family-controlled and publicly-traded auto components molder headquartered in France.

Represented a leading carbon steel service center in its sale to a private equity fund.

Represented private equity firm Blackford Capital in several acquisitions.

Represented Granger Energy Services division's sale of 16 landfill gas-to-energy sites across six states to an Australian company.

Best Lawyers in America^®, Ones to Watch, Corporate Law, 2021

Michigan Lawyers Weekly, Up & Coming Lawyer, 2016

Association for Corporate Growth

Grand Rapids Bar Association

Mid America Cooperative Council, Inc.

State Bar of Michigan