In the law of corporations, a merger is effected when one or more corporations becomes a part of, or merges, with another corporation so that one ceases to exist and the other continues to exist. In a merger, the company that continues to exist retains its name and identity and acquires the assets, liabilities, franchises, and powers of the corporation that ceases to exist. Attorneys who practice in mergers and acquisitions (sometimes called M & A) represent corporations and other business entities in strategizing, negotiating, and carrying out transactions in which two or more companies or corporations combine into a single new entity, a merger, or where one business purchases and absorbs the assets of another, an acquisition.
Hercules is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 19,488 at the 2000 census, but has since grown significantly; the Census Bureau estimated that its population was 24,776 in 2006. Formerly just one of many small bedroom-communities along the I-80 corridor in Western Contra Costa County, the city is undergoing a metamorphosis into a transit-oriented, mixed-use town. It is located about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of San Francisco, and approximately a half-hour drive (without traffic) from either Oakland or San Francisco. Neighboring towns are Pinole to the southwest, Rodeo to the north, as well as Martinez to the east via CA-4. The city's ethnically diverse population generally ranges from middle class to affluent. Hercules is home to a small amount of light manufacturing and high-tech industry as well as various commercial and retail activities. Most of the housing and other building stock is from the 1970s or newer. Attempts to develop mixed-use new development have begun in the waterfront district and around the intersection of I-80 and CA-4. The waterfront redevelopment includes the historic preservation and integration of a handful of buildings, some dating to Hercules's founding as a company town (see history below).