Mr. Ruisanchez, a veteran Wall Street investment banker, was named to the newly created position of Executive Vice President, Strategic Planning and Development in August 2008. He joined Pinnacle following a successful career at the investment banking firm Bear, Stearns & Co., where he most recently served as Senior Managing Director responsible for corporate clients in the gaming, lodging and leisure industries, as well as financial sponsor banking relationships.

Mr. Ruisanchez joined Bear Stearns’ investment banking department in 1997 as an associate in the firm’s Los Angeles office and moved to New York in 1999. Prior to joining Bear Stearns, Mr. Ruisanchez was a financial analyst for Aetna Health Plans in Northern California. Mr. Ruisanchez holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, where he focused on finance and international business, as well as a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Connecticut School of Business.