Wynnefield Capital, Inc., is an employee-owned hedge fund founded in 1992 by Nelson Obus and Joshua Landes. The fund is a value investor, specializing in U.S. small-cap companies with a business- or industry-specific catalyst. It employs long and short strategies and conducts in-house research in making its investments."Company Overview of Wynnefield Capital, Inc.," Bloomberg News, retrieved December 9, 2015."Welcome to Wynnefield Capital," WynnefieldCapital.com, retrieved December 9, 2015. The fund has been an activist investorSusanne Craig, "The Curious Case of Nelson Obus," The New York Times, June 4, 2011. with a number of companies, including Cornell Companies,Lon Juricic, "Wynnefield: Cornell Companies Should Remain Independent Entity," Seeking Alpha, January 24, 2007. Crown Crafts,"Crown Crafts, Wynnefield wage proxy fight by proxy," HomeAndTextilesToday.com, August 3, 2007. Breeze-Eastern,Ted Wallace, "Activist Spotlight: Wynnefield Small Cap Value Fund," The Official Activist Investing Blog, October 28, 2008. MAM Software,"Nelson Obus and Wynnefield Capital’s Latest Insider Filing," Business Insider, June 5, 2011. Chiquita Brands,Chelsey Dulaney, "Glass Lewis Recommends Chiquita Holders Vote Down Fyffes Merger," The Wall Street Journal, October 21, 2014. and Omega Protein."Omega Protein Receives Letter from Shareholder," OmegaProtein.com, August 11, 2015.
Wynnefield Capital is based in New York City and is named after Nelson Obus’ and Landes’ childhood neighborhood of Wynnefield in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In May 2014, after a 12-year battle, Nelson Obus and a Wynnefield analyst were exonerated of all insider trading accusations made by the SEC in a trial by jury.Rachel Abrams, "After Fighting Insider Trading Charges for 10 Years, a Fund Manager Is Cleared," The New York Times, May 30, 2014.Nate Raymond, "UPDATE 2-SEC loses insider trading case against NY fund manager," Reuters, May 30, 2014. Nelson Obus has been an outspoken critic of the SECRachel Abrams, "12 Years Later, a Fund Manager Gets to Give His Side," The New York Times, May 27, 2014. and penned an op-ed on regulatory overreach for The Wall Street Journal.Nelson Obus, "Refusing to Buckle to SEC Intimidation," The Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2014.
Founders: Nelson Obus and Joshua Landes Prior to founding Wynnefield, Nelson Obus and Joshua Landes both held senior research equity positions at Lazard Feres & Co. Nelson Obus currently serves on the board of directors for Zionist Organization of America,"The Dangers of a Palestinian State," ZOA.org, retrieved December 9, 2015. Layne Christensen Co.,"Board of Directors," Layne.com, retrieved December 9, 2015. MK Acquisition LLC, and the Princeton Historical Society."2015 Board of Trustees," PrincetonHistory.org, retrieved December 9, 2015. Obus also serves on the board of advisors of the Bank of Princeton,"About Us," TheBankofPrinceton.com, retrieved December 9, 2015. the Appalachian Mountain Club,"General Partners," WynnefieldCapital.com, retrieved December 9, 2015. and the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association."Board of Trustees," TheWaterShed.org, retrieved December 9, 2015. He previously served on the Boards of Directors of Breeze-Eastern Corporation and Underground Solutions, Inc.
Landes is a member of the Board of Trustees of S.A.R. Academy in Riverdale, New York;"2015 Annual Report," p.28, SARacademy.org, retrieved December 9, 2015. Board of Directors of Ken's Krew"Board of Directors," KensKrew.org, retrieved December 9, 2015. and the Zionist Organization of America, and the Vice President of the American Jewish Historical Society."Officers," AJHS.org, retrieved December 9, 2015. Landes led the financing efforts for the creation of a statue commemorating Uriah P. Levy, the first Jewish admiral to serve in the U.S. Navy."Dedication Ceremony of Commodore Uriah P. Levy Statue Co-Sponsored by JINSA," JINSA.org, December 30, 2011.
References
External links Wynnefield Capital Official Website Nelson Obus Website