C. Norman Winningstad

C. Norman Winningstad was a successful Oregon entrepreneur who had founded Floating Point Systems, a maker of computers and peripherals, before providing seed funding and credibility for Lattice Semiconductor in 1983. He invested in Lattice partly because he believed its success would help Portland become a U.S. technology center, and he helped the founders raise approximately $19 million in initial capital. When Lattice faced bankruptcy in 1987, Winningstad stepped in as chairman, raised $7.5 million from an insurance company to pay creditors, slashed overhead, and guided the company through Chapter 11 reorganization in just 62 to 88 days. He left as chairman in 1991 but his early stewardship established the financial discipline that would enable Lattice's eventual recovery.

C. Norman Winningstad was an American entrepreneur and technology executive who co-founded Lattice Semiconductor Corporation in 1983 and served as its chairman during its critical early years. Born in Oregon, Winningstad had previously founded Floating Point Systems, a successful computer and peripheral manufacturer, giving him the capital and credibility to back Rahul Sud and Ray Capece's vision for a programmable logic company. He invested in Lattice partly to foster technology development in Oregon's Silicon Forest and helped raise approximately $19 million in seed funding. When the company faced bankruptcy in 1987 due to mismanagement by the original founders, Winningstad stepped in, restructured debt, slashed headcount from 140 to 64, and guided Lattice through Chapter 11 in under 90 days. He recruited Cyrus Tsui as CEO in 1988 and oversaw the company's 1989 IPO before departing as chairman in 1991. Winningstad's decisive intervention during Lattice's darkest hour saved the company from liquidation and established the foundation for its four-decade survival.