charlie harrison legal executive with a business perspective
TRANSCRIPT
312.560.7148
1
Charlie Harrison
Legal Executive with a
Business Perspective
Charlie Harrison
312.560.7148
2
Charlie Harrison
10,500 miles of modern railroad
Legal Executive with a Business Perspective - Summary
Legal Expertise
• Corporate governance & Secretary
• SEC periodic reporting with contingent
liability reserve estimation
• Complex litigation management
• Real estate negotiation, contracting
or supervision of 1,800+ closings
• Environmental liability
Executive Business Experience
• Liquidation of a public company with
21,000 acres of railroad property
• Directed Real Estate Sales department
• Led real estate rezoning projects
• Managed 90+ environmental
remediation projects or claims
312.560.7148
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Charlie Harrison
Legal Expertise – Complex Litigation Management
Contested liability for environmental
liability at a rail yard through two trips to
the 7th Circuit with appeals to the US
Solicitor and the US Supreme Court to
finally settle at 20% ($1.1M) of the actual
damages.
Personally settled 20+ lawsuits arising
from commercial disputes, real estate
contracts, personal injury, environmental
liability and corporate asset sales by
independent negotiation or mediation
312.560.7148
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Charlie Harrison
Legal Expertise – Real Estate and Environmental Liability
Provided legal support, contract
negotiation and documentation and
closing, including supervision of two
paralegals, for 1,800+ real estate closings
for property in twelve states.
Provided legal direction and analysis for
resolution of 120+ federal and state
environmental sites or claims in
twelve states including selecting and
managing outside counsel.
312.560.7148
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Charlie Harrison
Legal Expertise – Corporate Secretary and SEC Periodic Reporting
Corporate Secretary for complex publicly
traded family of entities. Advised the
Board on liquidation options and
processes to avoid personal liability
for the officers and directors.
Prepared Legal Proceedings sections for
Securities and Exchange forms 10-Q and
10-K including preparation of liability
reserve estimates for litigation and
environmental liability.
312.560.7148
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Charlie Harrison
Led organization and marketing of sale of
13,000 acres of former railroad property to
a single purchaser.
Executive Business Experience – Real Estate Sales
2001
2002
Sales
32% Increase
10,500 miles of modern railroad
Led four-person real estate sales
department to 32% annualized
revenue increase by re-aligning
compensation and changing
department culture by example.
312.560.7148
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Charlie Harrison
Executive Business Experience – Real Estate Rezoning
Secured zoning change for a planned
unit development for a 42,000 sf office
building in only seven months from
concept to final approval in spite of
initial municipal rejection of the
project.
Directed rezoning of 163 acre parcel from
farmland to 860 unit residential. Persuaded
Indian tribe to drop opposition by using
fisheries biologists and civil engineers
to design a storm water runoff filtration
system which could permit future
salmon habitat restoration. Result: value
increased from $500,000 to $12 million.
312.560.7148
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Charlie Harrison
Executive Business Experience – Environmental Remediation
Persuaded Wisconsin DNR to permit
three feet of diesel free product
spread over eight acres to remain in
place by accepting the filling
necessary to construct a parking lot
as the remediation solution. Result:
$3M cost savings.
Persuaded Illinois EPA to issue “No Further
Action” letter within six weeks of
submitting initial environmental studies
on 25 acres of former rail yard on
Goose Island, Chicago. Result: sale
for $5.9M closed by end of quarter.
312.560.7148
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Charlie Harrison
Mixed Legal Expertise and Executive Business Leadership
Cut remediation expense at company
owned arsenic pesticide manufacturing
site by $7.6M (88%). Contracted with a
commercial buyer whose end use made
the remediation standards less stringent,
sued a prior lessee for contribution and
arranged for brownfield grants.
Created $6M (40%) increase in value from
the remediation of 100 acres of former rail
yard by persuading the Wisconsin DNR to
accept capping as the remedy. Then
charged excavation contractors tipping
fees to place the fill which acted as the
environmental cap while raising the
property out of the flood plain.
312.560.7148
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Charlie Harrison
Persuaded village which had operated a
9 acre company site for 25 years as a
municipal landfill accept title and
release the company from environmental
liability.
Persuaded City of St. Paul , which had
operated a municipal land fill for 25 years
years on 120 acres of Company owned
wetlands adjacent to the Mississippi
River, to purchase the property and
indemnify the Company from
environmental liability.
Mixed Legal Expertise and Executive Business Leadership
312.560.7148
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Charlie Harrison
Kellogg Graduate School of Management
Executive MBA - 2004
MIT – Center for Real Estate
Professional Courses - 2001
IIT – Chicago Kent College of Law
JD with honors - 1988
St. John’s College
BA in Liberal Arts - 1981
Education