Blake C. Beachler

Blake regularly counsels health care providers, public and private universities, underwriters, financial institutions, counties, cities, port authorities and other political subdivisions on tax-exempt, taxable and other economic development matters.

Blake serves as leader of Calfee's Public Finance practice.

While attending the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Blake was a member of the Technology, Law and Policy Journal and also interned for the Honorable Robert J. Cindrich for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Blake graduated from Yale University where he was a four-year letterman on the lacrosse team. He was a high school All-American Lacrosse Player; he has coached at the collegiate and youth levels.

Honors & Recognitions

• Best Lawyers "Lawyer of the Year" in Public Finance Law in Cleveland (2024)
• The Best Lawyers in America^®, Public Finance Law (2020-2024)
• Ohio Super Lawyers, Ohio Rising Stars (2014-2019)

Education

J.D., MBA, University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, 2005, Journal of Technology Law and Policy

B.A., History, Yale University, 2002

Experience

General Obligation Finance and Representation of Political Subdivisions

• Served as Bond Counsel in the issuance of $275 million of debt to finance a utility-scale solar project in a county in the Midwest.
• Serving as bond counsel to a state agency client in its first issuance of bonds to finance a $70 million utility-scale solar project in the state. This was the first project of its kind to be financed by the agency and resulted in a 100% real property and sales tax abatement for the borrower.
• Serving as bond counsel for the issuance of two series of lease-appropriate bonds in the aggregate principal amount of $227,940,000 to finance capital facilities in Ohio.
• Serving as bond counsel to numerous municipal corporations, counties, and townships in the issuance of general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, and certificates of participation issued to finance various projects, including streets, sewers, water, buildings and other infrastructure.
• Serving as purchaser's counsel to financial institutions purchasing tax-exempt bonds and other securities issued by political subdivisions in private placement transactions.
• Representing municipal corporations in special assessment and tax increment financing proceedings.
• Serving as bond counsel for a municipal corporation in connection with the issuance of $70 million of Build America Bonds and tax-exempt refunding bonds.

Port Authority and Project Finance

• Represented the client in designing, structuring, documenting, and implementing a procurement program for the deployment of certain funds reserved for the development of electric vehicle (EV) charging station infrastructure, including advising on all procurement-related and project finance issues. This matter involved the development of a structure and documentation package for the development of EV charging infrastructure and related procurement activities and closing on more than 30 EV project sites.
• Served as Underwriter’s Counsel to the publicly traded, Fortune 500 global financial institution in connection with the issuance by a State Treasurer of grant anticipation revenue vehicle bonds (GARVEE).
• Representing a public Fortune 1000 pharmaceutical company client as borrower/lessee in a $200 million financing lease transaction with a port authority entity pursuant to a structure that allowed the client to save over $6 million in sales taxes on construction materials. Additional related transactions included property tax abatement and job creation tax credit transactions, resulting in additional savings on a $200 million construction project.
• Representing a publicly traded, Fortune 1000 investment firm client acting as underwriter in a tax-exempt, forward-delivery $115 million bond issuance by a major city in Ohio. We assisted in developing a unique structure that allowed the borrower to lock in low interest rates over six months in advance of the first available call date, saving the borrower millions in interest as interest rates rose during the forward-delivery period.
• Serving as bond counsel to a port authority in the issuance of $250 million of taxable draw-down bonds to finance a major league soccer stadium.
• Representing a port authority in an approximately $50 million tax-exempt bond financing of the acquisition of a convention center hotel.
• Representing a port authority in the issuance of bonds to redevelop a historic theatre.
• Serving as underwriter's counsel in the issuance of $45 million of bonds by a new community authority to finance a portion of an open-air professional soccer stadium, public plaza, and community sports campus, all as a part of a public-private partnership among the developer, the new community authority, and an Ohio county.
• Representing a borrower in the issuance of $125 million of lease revenue bonds to finance a mixed-use redevelopment of a historic building.
• Representing a developer in the issuance of approximately $95 million of lease revenue bonds by a port authority to finance the construction of a new mixed-use development.

Health Care and 501(c)(3) Transactions

• Serving as bond counsel for a $310 million taxable bond issuance in 2021 by a health system to refinance an existing term loan and for general corporate purposes.
• Representing a health system in a public offering of $190 million of tax-exempt bonds, including developing a springing master trust indenture.
• Representing a 501(c)(3) borrower in the direct sale of $75 million of bonds to banks to construct a water, steam, and electric power system.
• Representing a hospital in the issuance of multiple series of fixed and variable rate bonds over the course of five years, with an aggregate principal amount greater than $350 million.
• Representing a health system in the conversion and remarketing of three series of bonds from variable rate, privately-placed bonds to publicly-offered, variable-rate demand bonds backed by three letters of credit.
• Serving as bond counsel in connection with the issuance of $90 million of hospital facilities refunding bonds.
• Serving as underwriter’s counsel for a $75 million issuance of bonds to finance a portion of a residential tower to be owned by a 501(c)(3) organization.
• Serving as underwriter’s counsel for a $145 million issuance of bonds to advance refund outstanding bonds and finance construction costs of a new hospital emergency department.
• Serving as borrower’s counsel for a 501(c)(3) hospital in the sale of $75 million of bonds to finance hospital facilities.
• Serving as bank counsel for a $17 million issuance of port authority facilities bonds and $5 million line of credit to finance the construction of an approximately 80,000 square-foot senior living facility.
• Serving as underwriter’s counsel for a $83 million issuance of bonds to finance the expansion of a medical center.
• Serving as borrower’s counsel for a $100 million revolving line of credit secured by a master note.
• Serving as borrower’s counsel for a $140 million issuance of tax-exempt refunding bonds, resulting in a net present value savings of approximately $40 million.

Education

• Served as Counsel for a public-private-partnership in connection with the monetization of $80 million in parking assets for a Midwestern U.S. university.
• Serving as bond counsel in connection with the issuance of three series of bonds in the aggregate principal amount of approximately $570 million by the Ohio Public Facilities Commission to finance improvements to higher educational institutions and schools throughout Ohio.
• Serving as bond counsel for a state university’s issuance of $130 million of bonds to finance stadium, housing and other capital improvements.
• Serving as bond counsel for a state university in the issuance of multiple series of bonds in an aggregate principal amount of $400 million to refinance outstanding debt issued to transform the university’s campus.
• Serving as underwriter’s counsel in the issuance of approximately $90 million of bonds issued by a state university.
• Serving as underwriter's counsel for a State of Ohio Higher Educational Facility Commission issuance of approximately $68 million of bonds for a private 501(c)(3) college.
• Serving as bond counsel for a local school district in connection with the issuance of $21 million of bonds to finance the construction of a new school.
• Serving as trustee's counsel for a $36 million revenue bond issued to refinance obligations of a nonprofit private university.
• Serving as underwriter’s counsel in connection with the issuance of certificates of participation to finance an education facility.
• Serving as bond counsel in connection with the issuance of $15 million of qualified school construction bonds.
• Serving as bond counsel for a county library district in connection with the issuance of $25 million of advance refunding bonds.

Transportation

• Serving as underwriter's counsel for a $180 million grant anticipation revenue vehicles (GARVEE) bonds issued to finance state infrastructure projects.
• Serving as bond counsel for a $15 million bond issuance to finance a regional airport’s gate improvement project.

Developer Counsel

• Representing a developer in a $125 million taxable financing in connection with the transformation of a vacant building into a mixed-use, multi-story building with over 300 apartment units and 75,000 square feet of entertainment space.
• Representing a developer in a public-private partnership financing of a $144 million mass timber mixed-use development, including the issuance of port authority bonds, a private loan from a financial institution, an Ohio Development Services Agency Chapter 166 loan, a City of Cleveland loan, and tax increment financing.

Trustee Counsel 

• Representing one of the top 10 U.S. banking institutions in its capacity as trustee of several series of federal lease revenue bonds ($975+ million).
• Representing the trustee in connection with seven separate federal lease revenue bond transactions in 2020 and 2021 aggregating in excess of $1 billion.
• Representing the trustee in connection with an unrated $61 million tax-exempt hospital facilities bond issuance.
• Representing the trustee in connection with a $36 million tax-exempt bond issuance for the benefit of a 501(c)(3) higher educational institution.
• Representing the trustee in connection with a $6 million unrated tax increment financing bond issuance to partially finance a $50 million mixed-use development.

Professional & Community

• National Association of Bond Lawyers, Member (2007-present)
• Yale Alumni Association of Cleveland, Former Trustee
• Avon/Avon Lake Community Resource Services, Former Trustee
• Bulldogs on the Cuyahoga, Former Trustee
• Avon Lacrosse Association, Lacrosse Coach