Charles Fraas

Managing Director - Head of Portfolio Operations at Gemspring Capital

Charles Fraas is a Managing Director and Head of Portfolio Operations at Gemspring Capital, a middle-market private equity firm based in Westport, Connecticut.1 2 He brings over 25 years of experience in leading transformations and driving profit enhancement across various industries.2

Professional Background

Prior to joining Gemspring Capital, Fraas led a boutique advisory firm that focused on operational transformation, profit enhancement, and restructuring/turnaround engagements.2 In this role, he worked with over 50 clients across various industries, including aviation, brokerage, distribution, healthcare, manufacturing, real estate, retail, services, and technology.2

Experience at 1800flowers.com

Before his advisory work, Fraas held several key positions at 1800flowers.com, including:

Senior Vice President of Improvement
Senior Vice President of Operations
Chief Operating Officer (COO)

As COO, he oversaw all operations, including call centers, distribution, transportation, sourcing and procurement, customer database marketing, and florist operations.2

Expertise

Fraas has extensive experience in executing projects across the strategic and operational spectrum, including:

Strategic planning
Post-merger integration
BPO / shared service adoption
Robotics process automation
Sourcing and procurement
Supply chain network optimization
Lean manufacturing
ERP / technology implementation2

Role at Gemspring Capital

At Gemspring Capital, Fraas is responsible for driving value creation and operational improvements across the firm's portfolio companies.1 His expertise in transformational change and value creation has been recognized as a valuable asset to the firm's investment strategy.1

Charles Fraas joined Gemspring Capital in July 2019, bringing his wealth of experience to help drive growth and operational excellence in the firm's portfolio companies.1