George R. Skupski

Partner

Cleveland
T +1.216.861.7105
F +1.216.696.0740

Overview

Focusing on debt finance, real estate and project development and finance and related matters, George Skupski leverages his diverse experience to serve clients as a trusted finance advisor by delivering creative, timely and practical results and solutions.

George has substantial experience structuring, negotiating, documenting and counseling clients on senior and subordinate term and revolving loan facilities, real estate bank, debt fund, CMBS and agency debt financings, note issuances, taxable and tax-exempt bond issuances, equipment financings and equity joint ventures.

In his real estate and project finance practice, George represents project sponsors and financing providers implementing sophisticated financing structures using both traditional and alternative financing sources that are often vital to the execution of transformational projects, including new markets tax credit, historic tax credit and low income housing tax credit financing, and various government-sponsored subsidies and incentives. With his broader background advising on business formations, mergers, acquisitions, dispositions and reorganizations, capital raising, corporate governance and commercial contract matters, clients frequently turn to George in an outside general counsel role for guidance on significant transactional and day-to-day business needs.

Select Experience

  • Represents several private equity sponsors on acquisition and portfolio company senior secured and mezzanine debt financings ranging in size from approximately $5 million to over $250 million.
  • Represented the project sponsor in several aspects of the ground-up development and financing of an approximately $2 billion state-of-the-art steel mini-mill in Northeast Arkansas, selected by IJGlobal Americas (formerly Project Finance Magazine) as the 2014 North American Mining and Metals Deal of the Year. Project capital sources included equity from financial and strategic investors, senior secured debt from private and government lenders, mezzanine debt, tax-exempt bonds, equipment lease financing, EB-5 financing, and various grants and other financial incentives from state, county and municipal governments and commercial partners. Represented the sponsor in refinancing the development phase financing with taxable and tax-exempt bonds and senior secured notes.
  • Represents a large national affordable housing owner and developer on acquisition, bridge, construction and permanent debt financings and 4 percent and 9 percent low-income housing tax credit equity transactions.
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Experience

  • Represents several private equity sponsors on acquisition and portfolio company senior secured and mezzanine debt financings ranging in size from approximately $5 million to over $250 million.
  • Represented the project sponsor in several aspects of the ground-up development and financing of an approximately $2 billion state-of-the-art steel mini-mill in Northeast Arkansas, selected by IJGlobal Americas (formerly Project Finance Magazine) as the 2014 North American Mining and Metals Deal of the Year. Project capital sources include equity from financial and strategic investors, senior secured debt from private and government lenders, mezzanine debt, tax-exempt bonds, equipment lease financing, EB-5 financing, and various grants and other financial incentives from state, county and municipal governments and commercial partners. Represented the sponsor in refinancing the development phase financing with taxable and tax-exempt bonds and senior secured notes.
  • Represents a large national affordable housing owner and developer on acquisition, bridge, construction and permanent debt financings and 4 percent and 9 percent low-income housing tax credit equity transactions.
  • Represents a public pension fund manager on a wide range of multi-family and commercial real estate acquisition financing, refinancing and assumption transactions, including bank line of credit and term loan facilities and Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and CMBS loans.
  • Represented a public electrical component manufacturer in negotiating and documenting a $700 million unsecured syndicated term and revolving credit facility.
  • Represents a private furniture manufacturer and retailer in negotiating, documenting, refinancing and navigating covenant compliance matters under $50 million revolving credit facilities.
  • Represents a private steel processing company in financing the construction, improvement and operation of several facilities utilizing state and federal new markets tax credit financing exceeding $100 million in total transaction size.
  • Represents real estate private equity fund in connection with joint venture investments in multi-family real estate projects around the country.
  • Represents the developer on the financing of the $90 million rehabilitation of the historic John Hartness Brown building in Cleveland, Ohio, utilizing conventional construction and permanent debt financing, various property tax and financial incentives from the city, and federal and state historic tax credit financing.
  • Represents the developer on the financing of the $60 million rehabilitation of a portion of the historic Dayton Arcade in Dayton, Ohio, utilizing state and federal historic tax credits, new markets tax credits, Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing and various private and government sponsored loans, grants and other economic development incentives.
  • Represented the project developer and operating company in financing the construction and startup operations of a $200 million silicon metal production facility through sponsor equity, traditional term and revolving debt arrangements; various federal, state and local government subsidies and incentives; and state and federal new markets tax credit financing.
  • Represented a developer in connection with the acquisition and rehabilitation of an affordable housing complex in Cleveland, Ohio utilizing 9 percent low-income housing tax credit financing, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development–insured senior debt financing, and subordinate debt financing from the city of Cleveland and the Ohio Housing Finance Agency.
  • Represented multiple private equity sponsors in a number of platform and add-on acquisitions and dispositions ranging in size from $10 million to over $1 billion.
  • Represented a national media organization disposing the final piece of its radio business through an asset sale.
  • Represented a software company in a strategic stock acquisition and the post-acquisition consolidation of a complementary international software business.

Recognitions and Memberships

Recognitions

  • Ohio Super Lawyer "Rising Star" (2022 to 2023)
  • Chambers USA: Banking & Finance in Ohio (2020 to 2023)
    • Up and Coming (2023), Associates to Watch (2020 to 2022)
  • The Best Lawyers in America® (2021 to 2023)
    • “Ones to Watch” Ohio: Corporate Governance and Compliance Law
    • “Ones to Watch” Ohio: Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Memberships

  • American Bar Association
  • Ohio State Bar Association
  • Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association

Admissions

  • Ohio

Education

  • J.D., Case Western Reserve University School of Law, 2012; Order of the Coif, magna cum laude; Senior Editor, Case Western Reserve Law Review
  • B.S., Finance, University of Akron, 2009, summa cum laude