Stephen Waterbury practices in the areas of general corporate and business law. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and planning, federal and state antitrust and securities law. Steve serves as counsel to a variety of leading Michigan businesses, including multigenerational family businesses.

Representative Experience

• Provided legal advice with respect to planned ethanol production facilities
• East Jordan Iron Works, Inc. (East Jordan, Michigan), one of the nation's largest municipal castings businesses, in its corporate planning and in its acquisitions, including the acquisition of B&C Utility Supply, Inc., of Baltimore, Maryland; LeBaron Foundry, Inc., of Brockton, Massachusetts; and of Vulcan Foundry, Inc., of Baton Rouge, Louisiana (the nation's fourth largest municipal castings business)
• DSM Pharma (The Netherlands), in the sale of its South Haven, Michigan pharmaceutical complex to Albemarle Corporation
• First of Michigan Corporation (Nasdaq; Detroit, Michigan), in its underwritings of public offerings of Common Stock of Spartan Motors, Inc.
• Foremost Corporation of America (NYSE; Caledonia, Michigan), in its merger with an affiliate of Farmers Group, Inc. and Zurich Financial Group, Inc. for cash consideration of $812 million, in its listing on the New York Stock Exchange, in its divestiture of Foremost Life Insurance Company and in its reincorporation from Delaware to Michigan
• Gill Industries, Inc. in its acquisition of a factory located in Mexico City from Johnson Controls, Inc.
• Greatland Corporation, in its acquisition of Nelco, Inc. (Green Bay, Wisconsin)
• Hadley Products Corporation, in its acquisition of automotive industry businesses
• Hart & Cooley, Inc., in its acquisition of assets of The Penn Ventilation Companies, Inc.
• Hastings Manufacturing Company (AMEX; Hastings, Michigan), in its federal securities filings; in its divestiture of its filter product line to CLARCOR Inc.; and in its “going private” transaction
• Idea Sphere, Inc. (New York, New York), in several acquisitions
• John Henry Company, The, in its sale to an affiliate of Bear Stearns Merchant Banking and Jefferson Capital Partners, for cash consideration of approximately $150 million
• Manatron, Inc. (Nasdaq; Kalamazoo, Michigan), in its initial public offering of Common Stock, in its subsequent securities filings and general corporate matters, in its acquisitions and in its sale to an affiliate of Thoma Cressey Bravo
• Monarch Hydraulics, Inc., in its sale to an affiliate of Bucher Industries, Inc. (Zurich, Switzerland)
• Meridian Automotive Systems, Inc., in its sale of a plastic-injection mold factory
• Nelson Metal Products Corporation (Grandville, Michigan), in its corporate reorganization and its spin-off of Hadley Products Corporation
• The management buyers of Prab, Inc., in a going private transaction
• Professional Computing Resources, in its sale
• Weaver Oil, Inc. (Fremont, Michigan), in its sale of assets
• Wyckoff Chemical Company, Inc. (South Haven, Michigan), in several corporate planning projects, and in its pooling merger with Catalytica, Inc. (Nasdaq) for $70 million in stock

Honors And Awards

• Named a Super Lawyer in the 2007 and 2008 editions of Michigan Super Lawyers
• Listed in Best Lawyers in America (for more than 10 years) 
• Fellow, Michigan State Bar Foundation
• Editor (1976-1977) and Case Officer (1977-1978), Harvard Law Review

Bar Associations

Teaching and Lecturing

• Moderator at 2004 and 2003 Mid-Year Meetings of Business Law Section, State Bar of Michigan
• Panel Member on “Due Diligence Trends and Strategies” at June 30, 1999 meeting of West Michigan Chapter of Association for Corporate Growth
• Seminar speaker, “Taking Your Company Public,” sponsored by BDO Seidman LLP, Roney & Co. and Seyferth & Associates, Inc. (1997)
• Speaker and panel member at Ninth Annual (1996) Midwest Securities Law Institute co-sponsored by the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association and the State Bar of Michigan Business Law Section (SEC and Blue Sky Filing and Disclosure Requirements; Public Offerings: Issues and Answers)
• Seminar speaker on legal issues involved in Sarbanes-Oxley Act compliance (programs co-sponsored by Ernst & Young LLP and Marsh)
• State Bar of Michigan Business Law Section speaker on developments with respect to acquisitions at annual meetings of State Bar Association of Michigan
• Institute of Continuing Legal Education speaker on topic “Developments and Trends in Mergers and Acquisitions”
• Speaker on various topics in career development programs

Languages

• Spanish

Professional Affiliations

• Association for Corporate Growth of West Michigan
  
• City of Grand Rapids
  Citizen Commission which recommends elected official salaries
  
• Economic Club of Grand Rapids
  Board of Directors
  
• Grand Rapids Bar Foundation
  
• University Club of Grand Rapids
  Board of Directors
  
• Woodrick Institute for the Study of Racism & Diversity
  

Community Affiliations

• Grand Rapids Symphony
  Board of Directors and Executive Committee, 2005-Present
  
• Leadership West Michigan
  Inaugural Class Member, 2003
  

News

• 45 Warner Norcross Partners Rated Best Lawyers in America
• 47 Warner Norcross Attorneys Recognized as Super Lawyers