Overview

About Steven

Steven Boender is a partner in the firm’s Corporate group and focuses his practice on corporate transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, financings, and other corporate and securities issues. Steven has represented corporate clients and financial advisors on a variety of transactions, including acquisitions, joint ventures, restructurings, and commercial contracts. He has assisted startup and emerging growth companies with formation, fundraising and structuring issues, as well as several joint development arrangements in the area of technology. He has represented issuers and underwriters in public offerings and private placements of debt, equity, and convertible securities. Steven also counsels a number of public company clients on securities compliance matters, including periodic reporting, current reporting, proxy statements, shelf registration statements, and employee benefit plan matters.

Whether he is advising a startup company or an established, mature enterprise, Steven’s focus remains the same: putting the client’s needs and expectations first, and providing sound, practical advice in a language clients can understand. Understanding the client’s industry, business, goals, and aspirations is critical to delivering that level of service, and Steven’s business background and broad array of industry experiences, including automotive and transportation, heavy manufacturing, agriculture/food, consumer goods, and technology (both semiconductor and software), allow him to quickly acclimate to any particular client’s unique attributes.

Prior to joining Stoel Rives, Steven was a partner with K&L Gates LLP and an associate with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.

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Experience

Experience

Acquisitions

  • Counsel to Volpara Health in its acquisition of CRA Health, LLC for up to $22 million.
  • Counsel to Consumer Cellular in its sale of a majority stake to Chicago-based private equity firm GTCR for a reported $2.3 billion.
  • Counsel to the ownership group in the sale of Toyota and Mazda of Gladstone.
  • Counsel to Advantest Corporation in the following matters:
    • Acquisition of Essai, Inc.
    • $135 million acquisition of the semiconductor system level test business from Astronics Corporation.
  • Counsel to Lithia Motors, Inc. in acquisitions and divestitures of 100+ automotive dealerships and dealership groups.
  • Counsel to JEA Senior Living in the sale of a majority stake to Access Industries.
  • Counsel to investors in Woolrich International in the sale of Woolrich to entities controlled by the Princely Family of Liechtenstein.
  • Counsel to True West Capital Partners in connection with equity investments.
  • Counsel to a professional services provider in its $85 million sale transaction.
  • Counsel to an auto dealership group in a $12 million purchase of distressed auto dealership assets.
  • Counsel to a Japanese publicly traded conglomerate in its $22 million purchase of agricultural assets in central Oregon.
  • Counsel to a Nevada-based commercial building materials supplier in a $15 million sale transaction.
  • Counsel to a Texas- and UK-based electronic payments processor in its $8 million sale transaction, structured as an equity sale with a separate $4 million sale of intellectual property assets.
  • Local counsel to a Japan-based life insurance company in its $5 billion merger with a U.S. financial corporation.
  • Counsel to a U.S. shipbuilding, ship repair, and industrial service provider in six strategic acquisitions totaling over $125 million and the sale of a minority interest to a private equity fund.
  • Counsel to a worldwide transportation, supply chain management, and packaging solutions provider in four strategic acquisitions totaling over $100 million.

Equity Investment and Funding 

  • Counsel to Lithia Motors, Inc. in its strategic partnership with, and equity investment in, Shift Technologies.
  • Counsel to many startup and emerging growth companies, primarily in software and cleantech industries, in a variety of general corporate matters (including formation), commercial matters and financings via convertible notes, SAFEs, and common/preferred equity.
  • Counsel to a data center infrastructure provider in a $3 million private placement of equity.
  • Counsel to a UK-based automobile manufacturer for various matters related to its operations in Portland, including investments early-stage companies that engage with its business accelerator program.

General Corporate

  • Counsel to Aurora Innovation, a leading developer of autonomous vehicles, in general corporate and commercial matters.
  • Counsel to Waymo, an Alphabet/Google-affiliated developer of autonomous vehicles, in various commercial and joint development arrangements.
  • Counsel to People Data Labs, a Founders Fund-backed emerging company, in general corporate matters.
  • Counsel to Versity software, a provider of archiving software for data center applications, in general corporate and commercial matters.
  • Counsel to a semiconductor manufacturer in complex transactional and commercial matters.
  • Counsel to the Portland Trailblazers in general corporate matters.
  • Counsel to Advantest Corporation in the following matters:
    • Joint ventures and technology transactions.
    • Outsourcing and contract manufacturing arrangements.
  • Counsel to Lithia Motors, Inc. in the following matters:
    • Board governance and SEC compliance
    • Commercial contracts with technology providers.
  • Counsel to Hanna Andersson Corporation in securities matters.
  • Counsel to Dixon Denim, LLC (creator of the term “Yacht Rock” and associated media properties) in general corporate matters.
  • Counsel to executives with various companies on equity compensation matters.
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Honors

Honors & Activities

Professional Honors

  • Listed among Rising Stars (Mergers & Acquisitions), Oregon Super Lawyers®, 2013–2015

Civic Activities

  • Board member, The University of Michigan Alumni Club of Portland, 2015–2019
  • Organizing Committee member, Portland Multi-school MBA Alumni Club
  • Board member, TechStart (organization that works with educators to facilitate students’ development of coding skills)
  • Oregon State Bar Public Service Advisory Committee
  • Volunteer, Portland Small Business Legal Clinic
  • Committee member, Law Firm Antiracism Alliance

Firm Activities

  • Recipient, Stoel Rives LLP Andrew Guy Pro Bono Award, 2021
  • Co-founder, Main Street Relief Project (no-cost legal service for independent restaurants, bars, and retail establishments affected by COVID-19 in the communities where the firm has offices)
  • Member of the following committees/groups:
    • Mergers and Acquisitions Form-production Committee
    • Mergers and Acquisitions Knowledge Management Committee
    • Firmwide Knowledge Management Committee
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
    • Move the Needle advocate
    • OnTrack program sponsor
    • Consumer Products, Transportation, Technology and Energy Industry Groups
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Insights & Presentations

Insights & Presentations

  • “Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,” Chapter 11 of The Law of Solar Energy: A Guide to Business and Legal Issues, Stoel Rives LLP, Sixth Edition, 2022
  • “Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,” Chapter 16, The Law of Wind: A Guide to Business and Legal Issues, Stoel Rives LLP, Ninth Edition, 2022
  • “Changes in the Manufacturing Industry Post-Covid-19 May Surprise You,” Portland Business Journal, October 2020
  • Quoted, “Shareholder lawsuit unlikely to block Salesforce acquisition of Tableau,” Puget Sound Business Journal, July 2019
  • Co-presenter, “Startup Law 101,” InventOR Train the Trainer, Portland, OR, August 2018
  • Co-presenter, “InventOR: Startup Law 101,” InventOR State Finals, Klamath Falls, OR, June 2018
  • Organizer, Ross School of Business Alumni Speaker Series: Josh Reynolds, Ruby Jewel CEO, February 2018
  • Organizer, “Portland Thought Leaders: Food and Beverage,” January 2018
  • Presenter, “The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act The Basics, A Record Year, and an Uncertain Future,” PDX General Counsel Forum, October 2017
  • Panel moderator, “Networking: Strategies, Successes and Lessons Learned,” University of Michigan Alumni Club of Portland, 2017
  • Presenter, “Crowdfunding: A Tale of Two States,” Northwest Securities Institute, 2017
  • Guest lecturer, Portland MBA Program, Portland State University, 2017–present
  • Panel moderator, “Crowdfunding: What’s Worked and What’s Next,” Portland Multi-school MBA Alumni Club, September 2016
  • Co-author, “Crowd Control for Crowdfunding,” Portland Business Journal, May 2015
  • Co-presenter, “Risks and Responsibilities of Corporate Directors,” Financial Executive International, Portland Chapter, April 2012



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