John D. Kauffman

John Kauffman has represented investors, entrepreneurs, and corporate management in a variety of business and strategic matters. One focus of John’s practice is representing Alaska Native Corporations from his office in Anchorage in their complex M&A transactions in Alaska and throughout the United States.

Education

Stanford Law School, J.D., 1999

College of William and Mary, B.A., 1996, summa cum laude

Admissions

Alaska

Recent M&A Transactions for Alaska Native Corporations

• Arctic Slope Regional Corporation. Acquisition of Builders Choice, Alaska’s leading provider of customized modular solutions
• Chugach Alaska Corporation. Acquisition of Rex Electric and Technologies, a leading provider of electrical and technology services based in Chicago, Illinois
• Cook Inlet Region, Inc. Acquisition by its North Wind Group of Portage, Inc. a leading small business in the federal environmental services market
• Koniag Development Corporation. Acquisition of Glacier Services, Inc., the largest Alaska owned oil field automation services firm

Additional Recent Mergers and Acquisitions

• Peter Pan Seafoods. Representation of the buyer group, including entrepreneur Rodger May and financial investors McKinley Capital and Renewable Resources Group, in company acquisition from Tokyo-based Maruha Nichiro.
• Northern Powerline Constructors. Representation of founders in company sale to Quanta Services
• GCI: Subsidiary acquisitions of multiple broadcast television stations in Alaska
• Aronson Security Group. Representation of owners in sale of company to ADT

Equity Investments

• Chugach Alaska Corporation. Preferred Stock investments in Spaceflight Industries, a Washington-based aerospace and space logistics company
• Cook Inlet Region, Inc. Acquisition of majority equity interest in Cruz Energy Services LLC, a company providing heavy construction and oilfield services to the oil industry in North Dakota and other Lower 48 markets, and majority equity investment in Cruz Marine LLC, a company providing tug and barge services for resource development projects

Insights & Presentations

• Chief author, “Business Law Practice,” Chapter XIII, Washington Lawyers’ Practice Manual

• Named by Best Lawyers^® as Corporate Law “Lawyer of the Year,” Anchorage, 2025
• Included in The Best Lawyers in America^® (Corporate Law), 2024–present
• Selected as one of “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business” (Alaska) by Chambers USA (Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions), 2014–present
• Listed in Alaska Super Lawyers^® (Mergers & Acquisitions, Securities & Corporate Finance), 2023–present
• Listed in the Alaska Business Legal Elite, 2023–2024
• Selected by the Alaska Journal of Commerce as one of Alaska’s Top 40 Under 40, 2013
• Listed among Rising Stars^SM (Securities and Corporate Finance, Mergers & Acquisitions) by Washington Super Lawyers^®, 2005–2007, 2009

Professional

• Business Law Section, Alaska Bar Association, Co-Chair