Project Finance MVP: Nossaman's Corey Boock

Nossaman Partner Corey Boock was profiled as a "Project Finance MVP" by Law360.  Recognized for his role in helping the state of Indiana close a bond issuance for an $800 million project to build a bridge across the Ohio River – the largest financing project of its kind – Mr. Boock was one of only seven attorneys to be named a Project Finance MVP.

Commenting on the "aggressive" procurement schedule for the project, Mr. Boock said, "That was really, no pun intended, a watershed project for the U.S. P3 and infrastructure market.  The procurement was done at just a blistering, record pace."

The East End Crossing was the first P3 project for Indiana and, Mr. Boock noted, it may be the first U.S. transportation P3 where the four shortlisted teams remained in the competition and all submitted proposals. 

Mr. Boock continued, "The project team and agency staff, with their commitment and dedication, set the tone for the agency to complete a project of this complex nature in such a short time frame. It garnered special interest from domestic and international players, and the success has continued with Indiana's new pipeline of P3 projects."

Commenting on Mr. Boock's work ethic, Partner Barney Allison, who also worked on the East End Crossing, noted that on a recent flight from Indianapolis to Los Angeles, Mr. Boock worked the entire flight.  "He works too hard; no, he really does. For this guy, it is nonstop," Mr. Allison said.

Associate John Smolen, also an East End team member, complimented Mr. Boock's leadership skills, saying, "He is pragmatic. He is creative. He is attentive. He is familiar with how the government process works. He is very reasonable.  From a colleague's perspective he is focused on making sure everyone has a role to play and a place to grow."

"It really takes a village, and our chieftain in the village was Corey," Mr. Allison added.

The article noted that the decision to be a transactional attorney came easily to Mr. Boock.  He said, "I knew pretty early on in law school that I wanted to be a transactional attorney. I viewed myself as more of a facilitator helping make and negotiate deals, rather than fighting about them."

Mr. Boock noted that the P3 "in the U.S. is very much in its infancy and I think it is the way we will see major infrastructure projects funded for the upcoming generations. And project finance is just exploding right now."

The article concluded by noting that, for Mr. Boock, the reward is seeing the team's hard work come to fruition.  He said, "We and I view our role in support of the public sector as a privilege.  I don't want to call myself a public servant because I am a private attorney, but helping agencies do things that ultimately benefit communities in need of critical infrastructure is an honor."