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Wingspan Capital Partners
Raymond W. Gunn, Managing Partner
rayg@wingspancapital.com
Raymond Gunn is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Wingspan Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Birmingham, Michigan. In less than 4 years Ray created the company, formed an Advisory Board of local and national business professionals, developed the firm’s strategy, criteria and processes and then acquired or invested in 11 companies.
Previously, Ray founded Wingspan Partners to assist entrepreneurs realize their potential by surrounding them with experienced financial, operating and sales and marketing resources committed to their success. In less than 24 months, Wingspan Partners served over a dozen early-stage companies, raising over $23 million for 7, including First Michigan Bank, Strategic Financial Services and JobApp Network.
Ray has 30 years of broad industry experience as a financial and operating executive, including over the last 24 years acting as the principal financial and strategic architect in the successful formation, funding, growth and ultimate sale/IPO of 10 early stage ventures/companies.
Prior to Wingspan he was president and CEO of Clarity Technologies, Inc, where he assembled experienced management and world class technology teams to develop, commercialize and brand Clarity’s proprietary voice enabling software technology. His team developed Clarity into one of Michigan’s fastest growing technology companies, earning 9 prestigious industry awards, including the distinguished “2004 Technology Company of the Year” award in Michigan.
Ray led Clarity into alliances, joint ventures and distribution relationships in Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, and throughout the U.S. He raised over $25 million and led Clarity’s sales contract growth to $30 million in 2004. Ray identified and developed key strategic alliances with possible suitors and guided Clarity and its stakeholders through the successful sale of the business at 18x sales to publicly held CSR in Cambridge, England, who retained every one of the 35 employees.
Previously, Ray was executive vice president and CFO of Somanetics Corporation (NASDAQ: SMTS), a publicly held medical device manufacturing company with proprietary signal processing technology that noninvasively and continuously monitored the oxygen levels in the brain. He joined Somanetics as a privately held company in its development stage and guided Somanetics through the IPO/FDA processes and raised $52 million in 10 public and private transactions. He contributed to building the team and commercializing the Company's first product.
Prior experience includes funding and commercializing a hi-tech manufacturing plant floor product-line as a senior financial/operating officer with Automation Data Corp., a privately held automotive supply company and president/COO of a subsidiary of Central Holding Company, where he co-founded and ran 5 of the first HUD approved mortgage banking joint venture programs in the Country. Earlier in his career, Ray was engaged by the FHLBB of San Francisco to lead the successful turnaround of a small S&L in Nevada. He was a financial manager with Pulte Home Corporation and practiced as an emerging business specialist with Deloitte & Touche.
Ray serves as a member of the Board of Visitors for Oakland University’s School of Business Administration; he co-founded, was on the Board of Directors and was chairman of the Audit Committee of First Michigan Bank; he is on the Board of Directors and Chair of the Audit and ALCO committees of Nstar Bank, Chairman of the Boards of Bitzer Products Company, Aetna Bearing Company, MexAmerica Foods and Wingspan Foods and is a member of the Gerson Lehrman Group Accounting Council. He is a former Board Member of Digital Detroit, the Association for Corporate Growth and the Medical Device Manufacturers Association.
In 2006, Ray was recognized as a Leader & Innovator by Lawrence Technological University and Grant Thornton and in 1992 Ray was recognized as an influential business leader in Crain’s 40 under 40. Ray is a Certified Public Accountant “CPA” and received his undergraduate degree in Management at Oakland University and pursued his Masters in Taxation degree at Walsh College.
Ray played college basketball at Oakland University and coached his former high school to two division championships in three years. Ray is a recently married father of two children with two stepchildren and resides in Shelby Township, MI.
Paul M. Zlotoff, Partner
pmz@wingspancapital.com
Paul Zlotoff is Chairman of Uniprop, a real estate equity investment firm involved in commercial and residential properties, specializing in manufactured home communities. Mr. Zlotoff is responsible for institutional relationships and strategic direction of all corporate activities.
Based in Birmingham, Michigan, Uniprop is one of the largest owners of manufactured home communities in the nation with 34 communities in 11 states.
Mr. Zlotoff has participated in the following organizations:
• Chairman, Board of Directors, Independent Business Research Institute, a non-profit corporation associated with the University of Michigan involved in basic economic research;
• Commissioner, State of Michigan Manufactured Home Commission;
• 2001 Campaign Chairman, The Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit;
• Board member, The Board of Governors, The Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit
• Trustee, Karmanos Cancer Institute Board of Trustees
• Trustee, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
• President, Brandeis University Alumni Association
• Trustee, Brandeis University Board of Trustees
• Council membership Vice Chair, Urban Land Institute Mr. Zlotoff has written articles for various trade publications and served as speaker for numerous industry organizations.
Roger Zlotoff, Partner
rogerz@wingspancapital.com
Roger Zlotoff, 44 became Chief Investment Officer of Uniprop, Inc. on October 18, 1999. He became Vice President of Uniprop, Inc. in 2004. Mr. Zlotoff is primarily responsible for raising equity capital, managing partnership investments, evaluating acquisitions of existing properties and leading the development process for new properties.
From 1997 to 1999, Mr. Zlotoff served as Director of Business Development of Vistana, Inc. in Orlando, FL. Previously, Mr. Zlotoff was managing Director for Sterling Finance International from 1994 to 1997 and was a corporate banker, with First Union National Bank from 1988 to 1994.
Mr. Zlotoff received his B.A. from the University of Central Florida as a philosophy major and received his Master Degree in International Business from the University of South Carolina.
Wingspan Capital Partners
Raymond W. Gunn, Managing Partnerrayg@wingspancapital.com
Raymond Gunn is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Wingspan Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Birmingham, Michigan. In less than 4 years Ray created the company, formed an Advisory Board of local and national business professionals, developed the firm’s strategy, criteria and processes and then acquired or invested in 11 companies.
Previously, Ray founded Wingspan Partners to assist entrepreneurs realize their potential by surrounding them with experienced financial, operating and sales and marketing resources committed to their success. In less than 24 months, Wingspan Partners served over a dozen early-stage companies, raising over $23 million for 7, including First Michigan Bank, Strategic Financial Services and JobApp Network.
Ray has 30 years of broad industry experience as a financial and operating executive, including over the last 24 years acting as the principal financial and strategic architect in the successful formation, funding, growth and ultimate sale/IPO of 10 early stage ventures/companies.
Prior to Wingspan he was president and CEO of Clarity Technologies, Inc, where he assembled experienced management and world class technology teams to develop, commercialize and brand Clarity’s proprietary voice enabling software technology. His team developed Clarity into one of Michigan’s fastest growing technology companies, earning 9 prestigious industry awards, including the distinguished “2004 Technology Company of the Year” award in Michigan.
Ray led Clarity into alliances, joint ventures and distribution relationships in Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, and throughout the U.S. He raised over $25 million and led Clarity’s sales contract growth to $30 million in 2004. Ray identified and developed key strategic alliances with possible suitors and guided Clarity and its stakeholders through the successful sale of the business at 18x sales to publicly held CSR in Cambridge, England, who retained every one of the 35 employees.
Previously, Ray was executive vice president and CFO of Somanetics Corporation (NASDAQ: SMTS), a publicly held medical device manufacturing company with proprietary signal processing technology that noninvasively and continuously monitored the oxygen levels in the brain. He joined Somanetics as a privately held company in its development stage and guided Somanetics through the IPO/FDA processes and raised $52 million in 10 public and private transactions. He contributed to building the team and commercializing the Company's first product.
Prior experience includes funding and commercializing a hi-tech manufacturing plant floor product-line as a senior financial/operating officer with Automation Data Corp., a privately held automotive supply company and president/COO of a subsidiary of Central Holding Company, where he co-founded and ran 5 of the first HUD approved mortgage banking joint venture programs in the Country. Earlier in his career, Ray was engaged by the FHLBB of San Francisco to lead the successful turnaround of a small S&L in Nevada. He was a financial manager with Pulte Home Corporation and practiced as an emerging business specialist with Deloitte & Touche.
Ray serves as a member of the Board of Visitors for Oakland University’s School of Business Administration; he co-founded, was on the Board of Directors and was chairman of the Audit Committee of First Michigan Bank; he is on the Board of Directors and Chair of the Audit and ALCO committees of Nstar Bank, Chairman of the Boards of Bitzer Products Company, Aetna Bearing Company, MexAmerica Foods and Wingspan Foods and is a member of the Gerson Lehrman Group Accounting Council. He is a former Board Member of Digital Detroit, the Association for Corporate Growth and the Medical Device Manufacturers Association.
In 2006, Ray was recognized as a Leader & Innovator by Lawrence Technological University and Grant Thornton and in 1992 Ray was recognized as an influential business leader in Crain’s 40 under 40. Ray is a Certified Public Accountant “CPA” and received his undergraduate degree in Management at Oakland University and pursued his Masters in Taxation degree at Walsh College.
Ray played college basketball at Oakland University and coached his former high school to two division championships in three years. Ray is a recently married father of two children with two stepchildren and resides in Shelby Township, MI.
Paul M. Zlotoff, Partnerpmz@wingspancapital.com
Paul Zlotoff is Chairman of Uniprop, a real estate equity investment firm involved in commercial and residential properties, specializing in manufactured home communities. Mr. Zlotoff is responsible for institutional relationships and strategic direction of all corporate activities.
Based in Birmingham, Michigan, Uniprop is one of the largest owners of manufactured home communities in the nation with 34 communities in 11 states.
Mr. Zlotoff has participated in the following organizations:
• Chairman, Board of Directors, Independent Business Research Institute, a non-profit corporation associated with the University of Michigan involved in basic economic research;
• Commissioner, State of Michigan Manufactured Home Commission;
• 2001 Campaign Chairman, The Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit;
• Board member, The Board of Governors, The Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit
• Trustee, Karmanos Cancer Institute Board of Trustees
• Trustee, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
• President, Brandeis University Alumni Association
• Trustee, Brandeis University Board of Trustees
• Council membership Vice Chair, Urban Land Institute Mr. Zlotoff has written articles for various trade publications and served as speaker for numerous industry organizations.
Roger Zlotoff, Partner rogerz@wingspancapital.com
Roger Zlotoff, 44 became Chief Investment Officer of Uniprop, Inc. on October 18, 1999. He became Vice President of Uniprop, Inc. in 2004. Mr. Zlotoff is primarily responsible for raising equity capital, managing partnership investments, evaluating acquisitions of existing properties and leading the development process for new properties.
From 1997 to 1999, Mr. Zlotoff served as Director of Business Development of Vistana, Inc. in Orlando, FL. Previously, Mr. Zlotoff was managing Director for Sterling Finance International from 1994 to 1997 and was a corporate banker, with First Union National Bank from 1988 to 1994.
Mr. Zlotoff received his B.A. from the University of Central Florida as a philosophy major and received his Master Degree in International Business from the University of South Carolina.