#corporate-acquisition

#corporate-acquisition

The first is Paul Blackburn, who was named executive vice president of agent development and culture. In this role, Blackburn will oversee @properties's coaching and training programs, direct agent training for new technologies and lead the firm's agent business-development initiatives across all markets. Most recently, he served as the vice president of brokerage services for @properties Christie's International Real Estate's Goose Island and North Center offices.

In September, an eminently recognizable footwear company changed hands - and went private as a result. Specifically, 3G Capital announced its purchase of Sketchers on September 12, which also marked the end of Sketchers' days as a publicly traded company. With that deal's completion now in the rear view mirror, details are beginning to emerge about how existing Sketchers shareholders fared as a result, and it turns out that not everyone is thrilled.That's led some Sketchers stockholders to file a lawsuit.

In an move notable for its size, though certainly not its content, a group of investors-including Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, private equity firm Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner's firm Affinity Partners-have purchased EA for $55 billion. It's the second-biggest acquisition in video game history, after Microsoft's $68.7 billion absorption of Activision Blizzard, but unlike that monstrosity, which was subject to antitrust regulations, this feels like a done deal, a straight purchase of one of gaming's biggest and worst studios.

In 1827, in the small Tuscan town of Sansepolcro, Italy, Giulia Buitoni-a mother and home cook-became so well known for her starchy noodles that she decided to launch a pasta business. She didn't have much money, so she traded her most valuable necklace for a pasta machine. The trade was well worth it. Buitoni pasta was an instant success in Italy, and within the century, the company was selling its pasta around the world.