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Charles C. Berquist

Attorney

Charles C. Berquist

cberquist@bestlaw.com
612.341.9726
60 South Sixth Street, Suite 2700
Minneapolis, MN 55402

Charlie Berquist is a partner in the firm’s Business Law practice area. His clients include individuals, for-profit businesses, and nonprofit organizations. He regularly advises clients on a wide variety of legal matters, including start-ups, transition and succession planning, debt and equity financing, mergers and acquisitions, technology agreements and executive employment and separation agreements.Charlie has extensive experience and expertise in executive compensation, including incentive and equity compensation plans, qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, and other compensation and benefit plans and agreements. He regularly advises employers and employees in these areas, including compliance with ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, federal and state securities laws, and other applicable laws and regulations. Click here to read his most recent article.

Experience

Charlie also regularly advises buyers and sellers in connection with mergers and acquisitions. His recent projects in this area include the following:

  • In June 2025, represented a husband and wife in the sale of a company that provides prefinishing services for wood products to manufacturers, lumber and millwork companies, and large real estate developers. The sale included a long-term lease for the facility and consulting and employment agreements.
  • In August 2024, advised a client on his purchase of a business in Valdez, Alaska offering cruises, guided tours and other outdoor adventures. The purchase was financed with a combination of invested funds, bank debt, and seller financing.
  • In January 2023, represented a semiconductor equipment manufacturer now based in Malaysia in its sale to a strategic buyer for $28 million. Charlie and the firm had represented the client since its IPO in the mid-1990s.
  • In November 2022, represented the owners of three dental product distributors in the sale of their companies to a buyer backed by private equity. The transaction was structured as two stock sales and an asset sale, plus employment agreements for management.
  • During 2022, represented an Iowa company that sells industrial cleaning services and products in its purchase of two complementary companies in Texas and one in New Jersey.
  • In November 2021, represented the sole shareholder and President of a commercial HVAC contractor in the sale of his company to a public company, and the negotiation of a new employment agreement between him and the buyer. The transaction had a total value of approximately $47 million.
  • In April 2021, represented the owners of a digital marketing company in their sale to a private equity buyer, in a transaction that utilized a tax-free F reorganization and partial equity rollover by the sellers.
  • In April, 2020, represented three family members in the sale of their industrial tank manufacturing business. The sale involved the sale of an operating company and real estate holding company, and the negotiation of consulting agreements between the buyer and the three family members.

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