Biography
With four decades of experience advising clients on investment matters and legal issues, Kelly Williams focuses his practice on counseling clients, including private equity funds, portfolio companies, financial institutions, and privately held businesses, on structuring and implementing acquisitions, divestitures, and financing transactions, as well as providing strategic business advice to support future growth.
Prior to joining Blank Rome, Kelly managed the successful private equity firm Milestone Capital, Inc., which he founded in 1998. Kelly led the firm’s middle-market private equity team, which included sourcing acquisition targets, fundraising and investor relations, leading financial underwriting and financial and legal due diligence, negotiating and closing transactions, developing business plans, determining and executing on long-term exit strategies, and forming relationships with other private equity groups, investment bankers, lawyers, and business owners. His experience also spans accounting, state and federal income tax, commercial real estate, bankruptcy, litigation, and employment issues.
Kelly previously practiced law at a regional transactional and tax law firm and founded a small law firm to manage public and private business transactions.
Outside the Firm
Kelly enjoys spending time with his wife and five children. He is also an avid outdoorsman and enjoys golf, running, skiing, and coaching children’s sports.
Experience
- Majority investor in a consolidation of privately owned fastener distributors.
- Majority investor in a consolidation of privately owned staffing companies. The consolidated company was scheduled to go public on the NYSE but never priced. A lawsuit ensued leading to a favorable settlement and a 95 percent internal rate of return.
- Made first-ever investment in a producer of organic branded teas and lemonades. Move company to Austin, Texas, and eventually sold interest to another private equity firm at a 23 percent internal rate of return.
- Invested in a wholesale distributor of industrial machinery and equipment. Grew the company and sold it for a 43 percent internal rate of return.
- Purchased 51 percent interest in a leading heat-tracing service provider. Company experienced tremendous growth and was sold to a large security systems company at a 112 percent internal rate of return.
- Purchased an 80 percent interest in a distributor of bearings and oilfield consumables for the oilfield industry. Grew the company and sold it for a 35 percent internal rate of return.
- Purchased an 80 percent interest in a distributor of material handling equipment. Grew the company and sold it for a 25 percent internal rate of return.
- Intended to purchase 100 percent of a public company subsidiary in the energy storage sector. The seller refused to close and a lawsuit ensued. Successfully obtained the largest jury verdict in Harris County against the public company seller, securing more than 100 percent internal rate of return.
News & Views
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Speaking Engagement
Industrial Investment Climate & Capital Markets Update
REDnews Austin Industrial Real Estate Summit (3rd Annual) -
Speaking Engagement
Industrial Investment & Capital Markets Update
REDnews Houston Industrial Summit (5th Annual) -
Press Release
Private Equity Veteran Kelly Williams Joins Blank Rome in Houston
Affiliations
Kelly holds several roles within the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, including serving as a member of the executive committee of the board of directors, a member of the board of directors, and as chairman of the annual golf tournament.
Credentials
Admissions
- Texas
Education
- South Texas College of Law, JD
- New York University School of Law, LLM
- Texas A&M University, BBA