PPM America
Home Fixed Income Public Equity Real Estate Private Equity
 
PPM America Capital Partners, LLC.
» Investment Approach
» Biographies
» Deals
 
PPM America Capital Partners, LLC
Biographies
Bruce D. Gorchow, President
Bruce Gorchow joined PPM in 1991 to start the Private Finance Group where he was responsible for investing over $10 billion in various private asset classes. Gorchow was named President of PPM America Capital Partners in 1999, and now manages the $2.5 billion private equity portfolio. He has 26 years of investment experience, having previously worked at Equitable Capital Management, E.F. Hutton, and TIAA. Gorchow serves on the Board of Directors of Red Door Spa Holdings, Sterigenics Holdings, Inc., Wirestone, LLC, Femmepharma, Inc. and LiquidHub, Inc. 

He was previously a director of Global Imaging Systems, Capitol Office Solutions, Leiner Health Products, Tomah Products, Elgar Electronics, Racal Acoustics plc, Capital H Group, WNC Holdings and PPM America, among others.

Gorchow received his MBA, Finance, from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1982, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BA, Economics, from Haverford College in 1980.


Scott D. Rooth, Executive Partner
Scott Rooth joined PPM in 1992 and has a leading role in the management of PPM America Capital Partners, as well as originating and approving private equity transactions. Prior to 1997, when PPM was focused on leveraged finance, Rooth co-sourced and participated in over $1 billion of debt financings. Rooth has 27 years of investment experience. Previously he was a Managing Director with Equitable Capital Management and a Senior Vice President with GE Capital, and started his career with Continental Bank. 

Rooth is currently on the Board of Directors of Sterigenics Holdings, Inc. and Wirestone, LLC.

Rooth received his MBA, Finance/Marketing, from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management in 1981, and graduated with a BA, American History from Yale University in 1977.


Champ Raju, Partner
Champ Raju joined PPM in 2001 and is currently responsible for underwriting and managing investments in private equity. Previously, he spent three and a half years at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, initially in the Audit Group where he focused on manufacturing clients. He later joined the PricewaterhouseCoopers Transaction Services Group where he focused on acquisition and sell-side due diligence.

Raju serves on the Board of Directors of Capital H Group.

Raju received his MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management in 2004 and received a BS in Accounting and Finance from Indiana University in 1997.


Austin Krumpfes, Partner
Austin Krumpfes joined PPM in 2001 and is currently responsible for underwriting and managing investments in private equity. Previously, he spent two and a half years as a corporate lawyer at Kirkland & Ellis, where he focused on private equity fund formations, mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital. He also managed two small investment funds prior to joining PPM.

Krumpfes received his MBA with distinction from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management in 2004, a JD with honors from Harvard Law School in 1998, and graduated magna cum laude with a BA, Political Science from Duke University in 1995.


Robert J. O’Rourke, Partner
Bob O’Rourke joined PPM America in 2001 and is currently responsible for PPM’s Private Equity Fund of Funds portfolio as well as seeking new Fund opportunities. Bob joined PPM with an extensive twenty-nine year background specializing in secured loan portfolio administration, secured loan structuring and documentation, resolution of problem situations via asset outplacement or liquidation, and troubled company advisory. Bob successfully out-placed Asset Based Loan portfolios for Chase Manhattan Bank, Glendale Federal Savings, and PPM America. He also spent ten years immediately preceding PPM as a consultant, assisting middle market companies in turn-around situations.

O’Rourke received his Bachelor of Science in Finance from Marquette University in 1972.


Claudia A. Baron, Partner
Claudia Baron originally joined PPM in 1993 where she was responsible for all investment systems for PPM as well as coordinating information sharing and reporting with the parent company in London. In 1995, Claudia began working for the leveraged finance group and later the private equity group underwriting both debt and equity investments. In 1999, Claudia left PPM to pursue operational roles including CFO of a technology company and CEO/GM of a winery in Northern California. In 2008, Claudia rejoined PPM America Capital Partners as a Partner in PPM‘s Private Equity Fund of Funds.

Claudia received her MBA, Finance/MIS, from the University of Illinois in 1987, and graduated with a BA, Political Science and Economics, from the University of Michigan in 1987.


Kevin P. Keefe, Principal
Kevin Keefe joined PPM in 2007 as a Principal. Prior to joining PPM, Kevin was a Director in FTI Consulting’s Corporate Finance practice. Kevin has 14 years of financial management experience with companies such as International Truck and Engine, Danaher, Topco Associates, and Lamina.

Keefe earned his MBA from the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business in 2003. He received his BBA with a concentration in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame in 1993, is a Certified Public Accountant, and a Certified Management Accountant.


Craig A. Radis, Principal
Craig Radis joined PPM in 2003 working in the Private Placements Group where his responsibilities included reviewing and structuring private placement credit trans-actions. Prior to joining PPM, Craig worked in the Middle Market Leveraged Finance Group at GE Capital/Heller Financial. He has over 13 years of financial management experience.

Radis earned his MBA from DePaul University’s Charles A. Kellstadt Graduate School of Business in 2007, and his BS in Finance from The University of Illinois-Champaign/ Urbana in 1994.


Mark L. Staub, Principal
Mark Staub joined PPM in 2001 in the Private Placements Group, where he reviewed and structured private placement credit investments. Mark transitioned to PPM America Capital Partners in 2007 and is now underwriting investments in private equity.

Prior to joining PPM, Mark worked in the Middle Market Leveraged Finance Group at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein. He has 10 years of experience in financial management.

Staub earned his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management in 2004. He also received his BBA with a concentration in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame in 1996.


Ray Zhang, Associate
Ray Zhang joined PPM in 2003 and is currently responsible for underwriting and managing investments in private equity. He initially handled accounting for all private equity transactions between 2003 and 2005. Prior to PPM, he spent three years at Ernst & Young LLP as a senior auditor where he focused on venture capital and manufacturing clients. He previously worked as an auditor for Glenn Ingram & Company and as a financial analyst for Valassis Communications, Inc.

Zhang is currently pursuing his MBA from the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business, received his M.A. in Economics from Concordia University in Canada in 1997, and a Graduate Diploma in Accounting from McGill University in Canada in 1997. He graduated with a BBA in marketing from the Southwest University of Finance and Economics in China in 1992, is a Certified Public Accountant and a CFA Charter Holder. He is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese.