Carlos A. Ryerson – CEO

Biography

Carlos A. Ryerson has over forty years of diverse experience in legal counseling and structuring of ventures, projects, trade, and investments in the United States and abroad, with particular emphasis on Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean Basin. Mr. Ryerson has expanded his professional work to China, Singapore, and other countries of the Pacific Rim, where Mr. Ryerson has developed strong business and professional associations. Mr. Ryerson is Director and President of Ryerson & Associates, P.C.

Throughout Latin America, Mr. Ryerson has developed close personal relationships with top lawyers and business leaders, as well as close ties to government leaders in the energy sector, government ministries, and agencies.

Mr. Ryerson’s involvement with Mexico and Latin America spans his entire professional career, and he has counseled multinational companies on a variety of large energy projects (including a $2.5 billion natural gas purchase agreement with Pemex and the Mexican government, and construction and equipping of the related natural gas transmission pipeline); Pemex and Luz y Fuerza del Centro in connection with U.S. transactions; a large U.S. utility in connection with an electricity purchase/sale contract with CFE; the Mexican Petroleum Worker’s Union in connection with complex transnational litigation involving more than one billion dollars; high level Pemex official in connection with extradition matters; several multinational companies in connection with international arbitration matters; Petroperú in connection with US litigation and US commercial matters; the government of Ecuador in connection with sensitive extradition matters; a large US/Peruvian consortium in connection with the proposed acquisition of over 200,000 hectares in Peru; a large Mexican food manufacturer in connection with establishing operations in Peru; a large Mexican music promotion company in connection with its global operations; and the Mexican government in connection with the development of the Gran Telescopio Milimétrico in Puebla, Mexico.

Mr. Ryerson has also had extensive dealings with Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Bolivia (having represented several national oil companiesin the past), and other countries of South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean Basin, having resolved multinational disputes involving several hundred millions of dollars for large Brazilian multinational companies and groups, having negotiated a multimillion dollar Tilapia farm purchases in Belize and Honduras, functioning as lead counsel in a multibillion dollar infrastructure, commercial, and tourism development in the Caribbean Basin, and having represented US multinational companies in connection with their operations in the region.

Mr. Ryerson has served as official counsel to the General Consulate for the Republic of Equatorial Guineain Texas, as well as part-time general counsel for several companies involved in various types of energy, real estate, and other development projects.

Mr. Ryerson has headed his Firm for the last twenty years. Prior to that, he was senior counsel in the International Energy Section of Jackson Walker, LLP, a Texas based law firm, handling international energy projects. Prior to his tenure at Jackson Walker, Mr. Ryerson worked at Enron Corp. and was responsible for the company’s power and energy projects and development activities in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. In such capacity, Mr. Ryerson headed the company’s legal team in complex workouts involving both local and U.S. governments, project lenders, and various international organizations, and also was the lead lawyer in the company’s participation in privatizations, development of LNG terminals and power plants, purchase and sale of barge mounted power plants, and corporate structuring in connection with power projects.

Mr. Ryerson also had active involvement in assisting government agencies in electric sector privatization matters, including the drafting of resolutions, regulations, and proposed legislation. Prior to that, Mr. Ryerson served as co-head of the international department of the Houston office of Adams &Reese, and headed his own law firm for over 17 years.

Mr. Ryerson began his professional career at Baker & Botts in 1974.

His experience in both energy and international matters is broad-based, and includes foreign and domestic joint ventures; structuring of foreign investments in the U.S.; mergers and acquisitions; project planning, structuring, and financing; infrastructure projects; negotiation with foreign governments in connection with power purchase agreements, fuel supply agreements, gas purchase, sale, and supply agreements, implementation agreements, construction-related agreements, concession grants, production sharing agreements, government guarantees, and regulatory compliance; global marketing, technology licensing, and protection of intellectual property; international estate planning and asset protection; aviation law; US immigration law; US and global litigation management and arbitration; and extradition matters.

Mr. Ryerson is a joint venture partnerof a foreign multinational consortium involved in infrastructure development, energy, waste disposal, recycling, housing and hotel complex development, micro-financing, and comprehensive (green) development projects in Central America and the Caribbean Basin; founder and principal of US Corporate Services, LLC, a Houston based company offering business formation, operation, and agency and trading services for foreign persons doing business or investing in the US; and Rector of Albert Schweitzer University in Florida and Texas.

Memberships and Awards

He is a member of the Houston Bar Association, and the State Bars of Texas and New York; holds an honorary degree as Doctor Honoris causa in International Law, as well as an S.J.D., from Albert Schweitzer University in Brazil; is a licensed International Arbitral Judge and Mediator before the Chamber of Commerce of Mediation and International Arbitration of the Brazilian States; and has for several decades held the Peer Review Rating of AV Preeminent with Martindale Hubbell, which is the highest possible rating in both legal abilities and ethical standards reflecting the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the Judiciary.

Practice Areas

Transnational project development, structuring, and financing; foreign infrastructure projects; foreign and domestic joint ventures, mergers, and acquisitions; representation of foreign persons in domestic activities, including counseling on structuring, corporate, mergers & acquisitions, real estate, commercial, tax matters, and regulatory matters; negotiation with, and representation of, foreign governments; global marketing, technology licensing, and protection of intellectual property; transnational estate planning and asset protection; aviation law; US immigration law; EB-5 Regional Center formation and counseling; transnational and domestic litigation management and arbitration; and extradition matters.