Experience

Debra Frimerman practices in the Corporate group. Debra assists both public and private renewable energy clients in a variety of areas. Her work includes mergers and acquisitions, business entity structuring, exempt and registered securities offerings, and ongoing general corporate governance and securities compliance. Debra dedicates a significant portion of her practice to emerging green and renewable technologies. This includes a variety of financing and grant application work relating to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill), and other federal and state incentive programs. She also has experience working with clients in agribusiness, finance manufacturing, medical devices, and insurance industries.

Prior to joining Stoel Rives LLP, Debra was an attorney at Lindquist & Vennum PLLP.

Representative Work

Capital Raising

• Founders, seed and primary equity offerings ranging from $1 million - $100 million to provide funding for renewable energy projects.
• Preferred stock offerings by cooperative associations to provide financing to build biofuels production facilities.
• Counsel clients on possible capital structures and best practices to raise necessary project funds.
• Agent's counsel in registered securities offering of approximately $5 million.

Mergers, Acquisitions and Exit Strategies

• Represented enXco in $900 million wind power build-transfer transaction with Xcel Energy Inc. 's Northern States Power (NSP) unit involving two wind projects aggregating 351 installed MW in Minnesota and North Dakota.
• Merger of two ethanol companies, which created one of the nation's largest publicly traded ethanol production companies, with complimentary grain, agronomy, feed, fuel, and ethanol marketing and distribution operations.
• Sale of 60% interest in ethanol production facility for $100 million.
• Asset sale to private equity fund by closely held business providing owner exit strategy and ongoing fee-based consulting arrangement.
• Merger of two public companies by tender offer of over $100 million.

Stimulus-Related Financing and Grant Applications

• Comprehensive analysis of federal and state grant and loan guarantee funding opportunities for renewable energy and agribusiness projects.
• Prepared application on behalf of major solar manufacturer for a Section 48C Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit (MTC).
• Preparation of materials for client to respond to anticipated solicitation request by DOE to award loan guarantees under Section 1705 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
• Assist with grant applications to USDA and DOE.

Ongoing Corporate Advice

• Negotiate engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) agreements for wind development projects.
• Offtake and supply agreements.
• Licensing agreements between biomass technology providers and projects for cutting-edge technologies.

Professional Honors & Activities

• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, Minnesota State Bar Association
• Member, Hennepin County Bar Association

Civic Activities

• Board member, The Purusha Project

Publications

• Regular contributor to the "Renewable Energy and Climate Policy" blog on funding, M&A and corporate governance issues.
• Author, "Financing Your Algae Biofuels Project," The Law of Algae, Stoel Rives LLP, 2009.
• Coauthor, "Show Me the Money," The Law of the Stimulus Package, Stoel Rives LLP, 2009.
• Coauthor, "Renewable Energy: Trends in Finance and Business Structures," The Law of Cooperatives, Business, Structure and Legal Issues, Stoel Rives LLP, 2007
• Author, "Minnesota Adopts 2002 Uniform Securities Act", Hearsay, Sep. 2007
• Coauthor, "Design, Engineering, Constructions," The Law of Ocean and Tidal Energy, A Guide to Business and Legal Issues, Stoel Rives LLP, 2007

Education

• University of Minnesota Law School, J.D., 2005, magna cum laude
  Editor, Journal of Law & Inequality
• University of California, Santa Barbara, B.A., economics, 2002

Admissions

• Minnesota

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