Adam Dittman Hwea
Partner & Co-Chair: Agribusiness

Adam H. Dittman

Overview

Adam Dittman co-leads Stoel Rives’ firm-wide Agribusiness Industry Group and regularly counsels businesses in diverse industries across a wide range of business and real estate matters, including mergers and acquisitions, commercial transactions, contract negotiations, general corporate governance, and financing transactions. Clients regularly rely on Adam to assist them in natural resources and real estate transactions, particularly in in the timber and forest products industries and in the agricultural investment, production, and processing industries.

Adam has dedicated over a decade of his career to representing timberland owners and forest products manufacturing businesses in virtually all aspects of their businesses. Adam is a nationally recognized counsel to industry clients, and he is committed to delivering practical, solutions-oriented advice. Clients regularly entrust him to help them navigate many aspects of their timber and forest products operations, including forest industry mergers and acquisitions, timberland and timber resource transactions, renewable energy projects, credit and financing transactions, and other operational issues. Adam understands and competently negotiates purchase and sale transactions, purchase options, easements and right of way agreements, licenses and permits, product sales agreements, supply agreements, independent contractor agreements, logging contracts, service agreements, and other operational agreements.

His deep experience leading mixed corporate and real estate transactions allows him to manage the most important aspects of clients’ transactions and provide a responsive, single point of contact to get results knowledgably and efficiently. Adam focuses on understanding clients’ industries and their motivations for each transaction, which helps him know when to “dig in” on issues and when to say it’s “good enough.”

Education

University of Oregon School of Law, 2007, J.D., summa cum laude; Order of the Coif

Willamette University, B.A., 2002, magna cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa; Dean's List

Tualatin High School, Tualatin, Oregon

Admissions

Oregon

Washington

Experience

Timberlands and Forest Products Industry

Regularly act as lead counsel to timberland owners and forest products companies in transactions nationwide, including the following representative matters:

  • Represented timberland investment management organization (TIMO) in the acquisition of approximately 646,700 acres of timberlands and other assets in the upper peninsula of Michigan.
  • Represented private timberlands company in the acquisition of approximately 600,000 acres of timberlands in southern Oregon and northern California and related operating assets.
  • Represented private timberlands company in the sale of over 170,000 acres of timberlands in multiple counties in California.
  • Represented timberlands purchaser in the acquisition of over 158,000 acres of investment-grade timberlands in 18 counties spanning coastal North Carolina and southeastern Virginia.
  • Represented TIMO in simultaneous disposition of timberlands in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Mississippi and acquisition of timberlands in South Carolina totaling over 130,000 acres in the aggregate.
  • Represented TIMO in acquisition of membership interest in entity owning over 115,000 acres of investment-grade timberlands in Ohio and Kentucky.
  • Represented private timberlands investment fund and its strategic industry partner in acquisition of approximately 112,000 acres of timberlands and related assets in northern California.
  • Represented private timberlands company in the acquisition of approximately 29,000 acres of timberlands and related property in northern California.
  • Represented TIMO in sale of over 18,000 acres in southern Oregon.
  • Represented private timberlands company in the acquisition of approximately 17,500 acres of timberlands in Washington.
  • Represented TIMO on timberlands dispositions and acquisitions of various sizes in Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Washington, and Oregon.
  • Represented private lumber products manufacturer in a corporate restructuring and follow-on sale of the entire ownership interest in a treated pole and lumber business in Washington.
  • Represented integrated forest products company in the sale of its entire timberlands ownership and manufacturing operations.
  • Represented forest products manufacturing business in the disposition of Pine sawmill facility in central Oregon.
  • Represented forest products manufacturing business in acquisition of Douglas fir sawmill facility in western Oregon.
  • Represented forest products manufacturing business in acquisition of remanufacturing facility and related real property in Idaho.
  • Represented integrated forest products company in title, closing, and corporate structuring aspects of a timberlands securitization and related financing transactions involving over 400,000 total acres of timberlands and aggregate debt obligations exceeding $550 million.
  • Represented lender in negotiating, structuring, and documenting senior secured credit facility to forest products company borrower.
  • Represent multiple private forest products companies in corporate and real property title aspects of ongoing financing arrangements and secured loan transactions.
  • Represent forestland owners in structuring and negotiating solar leases, carbon storage projects, communications leases, and other alternative revenue projects on their lands.

Agribusiness Industry

  • Represented world-leading organic grower and producer in acquisition of a vegetable processing business and related real property and farmland assets in Georgia and Florida.
  • Represented agricultural investor in the acquisition of over 7,000 acres of row crop lands in Louisiana.
  • Represented bulk grain export company in various aspects of its operations, including leasing, facility acquisitions and dispositions, grain handling contracts, and other commercial and operational contracts relating to its export and upcountry operations.
  • Represented of domestic grain cooperative in the dissolution and liquidation of its business and assets.
  • Represented buyers in a purchase of an Oregon-based vineyard and winery business and related real property.
  • Represented agricultural lender on farm and forestland financing transactions.

General Mergers and Acquisitions

  • Represented private telecommunications provider in the sale of substantially all of its cable system, high-speed internet, telephone, broadcast television and data center assets and businesses to strategic buyer.
  • Represented private capital equipment manufacturer in a leveraged buyout of the controlling interest in its sawmill equipment manufacturing business by a private equity purchaser.
  • Represented Fortune Global 500® manufacturing company in the sale of its diesel engine and power systems distributorship business to strategic buyer.
  • Represented private equipment manufacturer in the sale of all outstanding ownership interests in its specialty cooling products business to a private equity purchaser.

Other Representations

  • Represented self-storage services company in its limited liability company formation and capitalization through secured membership loans.
  • Represented majority owners of a financial services company in the negotiation, structuring, and documentation of a contested minority shareholder buyout transaction.
  • Represent architectural services and design firms in connection with corporate governance and firm professional licensing matters.
  • Regularly represent businesses and individuals with entity formations, organizational documents, commercial contracts, and other corporate matters.

Insights

Insights & Presentations

  • Co-Host, Stoel Rives | Deeply Rooted Podcast
  • Co-author, “On The Road Again: 3 Considerations for Access to Forestland, Vineyard, and Agricultural Property,” Portland Business Journal, May 2022
  • Presenter, “Timberlands Auctions and Transaction Strategies,” Pacific Northwest Timberlands Management: Regulations, Litigation, and Business Considerations, The Seminar Group, March 4, 2022
  • Guest presenter (various legal subjects), Oregon State University College of Forestry, Forest Business Solutions Group, Forest Products Management Development Series, Corvallis, Oregon, various dates, 2013–present
  • Presenter, “Anatomy of a Timberland Transaction,” Pacific Northwest Timberlands Management, The Seminar Group, March 13, 2020, and March 16, 2018
  • Author, Stoel Rives LLP Sponsor’s Note, Portland Business Journal, “How Oregon Works: Oregon’s Workforce and the Job Skills Gap, Agriculture & Natural Resources Issue,” October 2018
  • Presenter, “Contracts,” American Society of Consulting Arborists, 2017 Annual Conference, Stevenson, Washington, December 1, 2017
  • Co-Author, 2015 Supplement to Chapter 8, “Timber and Timberlands,” Real Property Deskbook Vol. 3, Real Property Interests & Duties of Third Parties, Washington State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (4th Ed. 2009)
  • Speaker/Author, “Timber and Logging Law,” National Business Institute™ CLE Live Teleconference (simulcast online via West LegalEdCenter®), Portland, Oregon, October 29, 2015.
  • Presenter, “Contracts: A Practical Primer,” North American Wholesale Lumber Association, Executive Management Institute, Corvallis, Oregon, September 23, 2015
  • Panelist, “Insurance Market Update: Forest Products/Building Materials Industry,” Marsh USA, Inc., February 26, 2015

Speaking Engagements

Podcasts

  • “Adam has earned the confidence and trust of many clients who rely on him for excellent representation in corporate transactions and a deep understanding of their business.”  

    Galen G. Schuler, Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Affairs, Green Diamond Resource Company

  • “Adam Dittman is a proactive, exceptional communicator who walks the talk everyday with integrity, passion and a genuine care for people. In my opinion, he is an exceptional lawyer who is fully committed to the long-term success of our industry and the rural communities and people of Oregon.”  

    Senior Vice President, Private Forest Products Company

  • “I have learned something each time I have worked with [Adam] and this, combined with his outstanding legal counsel and the timeliness of his work, provides the greatest value to the client.”  

    Head of Acquisitions, Timberland Investment Management Organization

  • “Adam is the rare lawyer who couples issue spotting with solutions, and who invests himself in his client’s success.”  

    Heath Curtiss, Vice President, Legal & Government Affairs, Hampton Lumber
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