Paul C. Yates
Paul C. Yates has over 17 years of experience as a corporate executive and an investment banker. Prior to co-founding Sunrise Equity, Mr. Yates was an Executive Vice President and the Chief Financial Officer of Hollywood Casino Corporation. Mr. Yates was one of two executive officers of Hollywood Casino that developed and implemented the company's business strategies and managed its day-to-day operations. He played a critical role in the successful repositioning of the company, which enabled Hollywood Casino to dramatically increase its operating profitability. Mr. Yates executed a $590 million recapitalization of the company, which included the completion of five separate financings. The recapitalization not only funded a significant expansion of the company's operations, but it also reduced substantially the company's cost of capital and increased its financial flexibility. Most recently, Mr. Yates managed the sales process and negotiated the merger agreement for the company's $920 million sale to Penn National Gaming.
Prior to joining Hollywood Casino, Mr. Yates was a Managing Director in Bear Stearns' Investment Banking Department. He played a significant role in developing two important businesses for Bear Stearns. Mr. Yates developed and managed an industry group that became the leading provider of investment banking products and services to companies in the gaming, lodging and leisure industries. Mr. Yates was also one of the senior bankers that developed Bear Stearns' leveraged finance business. Prior to returning to Bear Stearns, Mr. Yates also spent two years working as a senior investment banker in the Merchant Banking Department of Merrill Lynch. During his 11-year investment banking career, Mr. Yates completed more than $11 billion in debt and equity financings and merger and acquisition transactions. He completed financing and strategic transactions for a broad range of clients, including companies in the agriculture, automotive supplies, cruise, financial services, gaming, home building leisure, lodging, manufacturing, minerals, office products transportation and software industries.
Mr. Yates began his career with Chase Investment Bank where he worked in the firm's Private Placements Group after completing an accelerated credit training program
Mr. Yates received a MBA in finance from the University Of Chicago Graduate School Of Business and a BA with honors from the University of California at Davis.
“Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.”
— Karen Kaiser Clark
Flexibility
Sunrise has the flexibility to considers all options, and makes appropriate decisions for the partners and management when investing, growing and exiting.