Paul Sparks

Paul Sparks is the Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of RealOp Investments. Based in Greenville, South Carolina, RealOp is a leading real estate private equity firm with over $250 million in cumulative capital commitments and a aggregate asset value of $550 million. Mr. Sparks has been directly involved in all phases of RealOp’s development since its inception and directs RealOp’s corporate strategy and vision, firm governance, and risk management. He is also the Chairman of RealOps’ Executive Committee and sits on the firms’ investment committee.

Mr. Sparks is also the Co-Founder and Chairman of Adelphos Capital, a lower-middle-market private equity firm focused exclusively on small companies and passionate entrepreneurs with niche strategies within the healthcare, financial services, packaging, and technology industries.

Leveraging more than 25 years of private equity investing experience, Mr. Sparks has completed transactions with an aggregate value in excess of $3.0 billion. Prior to founding RealOp Investments, he was Executive Vice President, Senior Credit Executive, of a multi-billion-dollar commercial bank based in South Carolina. Mr. Sparks received an MBA from Louisiana State University, Graduate School of Banking; a BS in Finance, from the University of Alabama; and a Certificate in Private Equity Management from Harvard Business School. He currently serves on the boards of The Children’s Museum of the Upstate, Upstate Warrior Solutions, Venture Carolina, and the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Sparks is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and lives in Greenville, S.C., with his wife and daughter.