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.
Randle is an unincorporated community in extreme eastern Lewis County, Washington, United States. Randle is located on U.S. Route 12 and is notable as the northeastern access point to the Mount St. Helens Windy Ridge viewpoint, by way of forest service roads that cut through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Randle is located right next to the Cowlitz River and is about four miles north of the Cispus River, a tributary of the Cowlitz. The rural area surrounding Randle is known locally as the "Big Bottom Valley," which is reflective of the fact that the valley floor in which the Cowlitz River winds westward through Randle is "big"--flat, fertile land that is at places more than 3 miles wide.