James Rachlin Email & Phone Number

Meristem Advisors (www.MeristemAdvisors.com) helps municipal and developer clients grow in a rapidly evolving environment by successfully structuring and executing financings for capital projects, sustainability and resiliency, and through assistance with planning and budgeting.

Toronto, Ontario, CA

• Established client base serving local municipalities, school districts, libraries, and other non-profit issuers of tax-exempt debt. Notable Achievements:
• Demonstrated forward-thinking initiative to build municipal finance presence and establish brand name in previously unserved Illinois and Indiana markets.
• Helped company achieve gross revenue of $1.5M over 2+ years.
• Enabled local library district to build and operate a new library at minimum cost through the development of a financial plan.
• Designed financial plan to be executed over two years that included three financings enabling replacement and renovation of existing facilities that were 80+ years old and allowing transition of education model to.

Toronto, ON, CA

• Strengthened company share of client wallet by collaborating and capitalizing on relationships across the bank platform. Notable Achievements:
• Strategically expanded client coverage responsibilities to include Chicago sister agencies and issuers in Indiana and Minnesota.
• Generated $4M in underwriting revenue by working in tandem with BMO’s Securitization Group to develop alliances with different state student loan agencies to open the door for firm to manage underwritings for.

US

• Oversaw expansion of Public Finance Department, including new business development and oversight of all related banking activities. Notable Achievements:
• Instituted negotiated public finance business for regional investment bank and headed department.
• Built department to $4 million annual revenue.

• Held accountability for new business development, oversight of all banking activities, and transaction execution. Notable Achievements:
• Headed Midwest office of Public Finance Department.
• Fulfilled key role in selecting and training top talent including a class of 15 analysts in the New York office.

• Instrumental in managing all analytical functions related to transaction structuring and execution for client projects in the waste-to-energy and independent power producer industry. Notable Achievements:
• Advised clients on negotiating key project documents including construction agreements, operating agreements, power purchase contracts, and ownership agreements for greenfield, existing waste-to-energy, and independent.
• Developed project cash flows to forecast project performance, borrowing capacity, and returns to investors.
• Served as liaison among project developers, lenders and attorneys to mediate the negotiation of loan terms, inter-creditor issuers, and ownership structures.
• Prepared offering memoranda for presentation to project lenders.
• Championed additional projects including raising equity through the sale of a partner interest in a large waste-to-energy project and negotiated the expansion of the facility; established a joint venture for recycling.

Master Of Business Administration (Mba), Finance

Master Of Science (Ms), Engineering, Energy And Environment

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Computer Science