Spotlight on leaders in Small Business Administration lending

North Bay banks were invited to send us snapshot profiles of their leading Small Business Administration loan officers, including their favorite SBA lending stories, and recent bank news.

•

Bay Area Development Company

Bob Thompson

Vice president

925-472-5603

Year assumed position: 1995

Significant news: Expansion to southern California office

Favorite SBA lending story: Simply being able to assist an applicant that has exhausted all other potential lending avenues and then seeing them prosper as a result of the financing. This is the true benefit of SBA: It enables certain businesses to obtain financing that may not otherwise be available without the support (guarantee) that SBA provides. That and the leverage that SBA allows - lower down payment and equity requirements increase the field of potential purchasers/borrowers - over conventional financing.

Most inspiring leader: Steve Kerr

•

Capital Access Group

Jacklyn Jordan

President and founder

415-217-7600

Year assumed position: 1997

Significant news: We are proud to be partnering with Small Business Development Centers of Northern California in sponsoring Access to Capital workshops throughout the Bay Area, most recently in Marin County. We are excited about the opportunity to provide business owners with the tools they need to grow their businesses and be successful. The Access to Capital workshops focus on providing these resources to business owners.

Favorite SBA lending story: Recently, Capital Access Group arranged $10.65 million in total project financing for Moresco Distributing Company to purchase the largest [available] warehouse and office space in Sonoma County, a 123,600-square-foot facility located at 1450 Technology Ln. in Petaluma. Moresco was operating out of two facilities, a building it owned and a second building it was leasing. The company consolidated both locations into the new building, which includes 39,500 square feet of class A office space.

This was the second 504 loan for Moresco Distributing. The company accessed 504 financing through Capital Access Group to purchase its first building, which it sold, and reinvested the proceeds in the new building through a 1031 exchange.

Moresco is a full-service packaging and distribution company specializing in biodegradable and compostable products in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, and Portland, Ore., regions.

“The SBA loan was the difference, and Capital Access showed us the path to justify this move. More people should take advantage of the 504 program,” said Ron Moresco. “Without the 504 program, we wouldn’t have been able to buy this building.”

Most-inspiring leader: Our clients. I have been fortunate to work with hundreds of small business leaders who are inspirational. Business owners who have started, grown and led successful businesses are an inspiration to me and the reason we do what we do at Capital Access Group.

•

CDC Small Business Finance

Kelly Ryan

SBA loan expert

510-597-2059

Year assumed position: 2012

Significant news: CDC Small Business Finance is the No. 1 SBA lender in the nation and has been helping small businesses for more than 37 years.

Favorite SBA lending story: El Metate is a well-known Mexican restaurant in the Mission District of San Francisco. The restaurant’s landlord was going to put the building on the market. That could have caused the business to move out of the location they’d occupied for the past 11 years. Through SBA financing, CDC and a lender provided the capital for the business to purchase their building with just a 10 percent down payment. The purchase helped the business lock in its occupancy costs and prevent any future relocation issues.

Most-inspiring leader: Madeleine Albright

•

Exchange Bank

Sherrill J. Stockton

Senior vice president

707-521-3753

Year assumed position: 2009

Significant news: After starting the SBA Department in fall 2009, the bank has added two new loan production offices in the East Bay and the South Bay. Exchange Bank now has SBA business development officers in Santa Rosa, Roseville, Lafayette and San Jose.

Favorite SBA lending story: When asked, I proudly boast that my job is to help people make their dreams come true. I have the privilege of working with impassioned entrepreneurs who by virtue of following their dreams make significant economic contributions to our communities through revenue and job creation.

Most-inspiring leader: Working with Dave Titus for over 10 years was a honor. He is a man of high moral character. He led with patience, intelligence, humor, fairness and common sense. His commitment to doing the right thing every time and for everyone contributed to a corporate culture that engendered trust, respect and success.

•

First Community Bank

Evelynn Porter

Vice president and commercial loan officer

707-636-9748

Year assumed position: 2014; a commercial lender for 15 years and in banking for 21

Significant news: We opened a new branch in Milpitas on April 11.

Favorite SBA lending story: A world renowned artist, Gordon Huether, had purchased and remodeled a building known as the Hay Barn at the height of the real estate market in 2007. Because property values subsequently declined, he was unable to refinance the debt, and it carried a high interest rate. He had survived the recession but was stuck with a hefty interest payment. Banks refused to help him, citing a high loan-to-value ratio - which was understandable. When I joined First Community Bank, I investigated his problem thoroughly with Bryan Borders, our SBA manager, and our loan committee, and we were able to deliver a refinance that saved the customer $110,000 annually.

It was a difficult transaction, because paying off an SBA loan with a new SBA loan is fairly complicated and time-consuming. In addition, no one thought his real estate value was high enough to support the loan amount, but it was. Getting Gordon and his team to give us a chance after many attempts at a refinance was not easy, so I had to be persistent. It feels good to work somewhere that allows you to really help people, and that is what I enjoy most about lending.

Most-inspiring leader: Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603) for her brilliance and tenacity

•

Live Oak Bank

Roger Stockton

Loan Officer/Underwriter

707-921-1336

Year assumed position: 2015

Significant news at your bank:Live Oak Bank announced a new lending division in January 2015 offering financing to the Wine and Craft Beverages industry. After extensive industry research, Live Oak assembled a team of lenders and industry experts to address the need for financing to wineries, vineyards, breweries, distilleries and ancillary businesses in this space. Live Oak can provide funding for acquisitions, successions, partner buy-ins/outs, expansions, operating capital, refinances, loan payoffs and real estate.

Favorite SBA lending story: In my tenure at the SBA I worked with lenders and borrowers from across the country, from big cities to small towns. One thing that strikes you when you see the program administered on such a scale is how vital SBA is to the communities it serves. I’ve seen first-hand how an SBA loan can take someone’s dream and make it a reality. At Live Oak Bank we are committed to supporting the SBA and deserving entrepreneurs who have been underserved by traditional lenders.

Most-inspiring leader: Martin Luther King, Jr.

•

Redwood Credit Union

Jason Ehn

Senior SBA loan officer

707-545-4000

Year assumed position: 2008

Significant news: Independent consulting firm Glatt Consulting recently scored RCU as the healthiest credit union in the nation (glattconsulting.com/2015/03/04/q4-report-the-top-5-most-healthy-credit-unions/).

Favorite SBA lending story: It is the one still being written here at RCU. In the last seven years, we have made nearly 200 SBA 7(a) loans, as well as approximately 70 SBA 504 loans, injecting about $200 million into our local economy. These small business owners we have assisted have been able to start and grow their businesses, hiring numerous employees and energizing our local economy along the way. Writing this SBA lending story is what continues to keep us motivated to help our members achieve their goals and dreams every day.

Most-inspiring leader: John Wooden

•

Summit State Bank

Brandy Seppi

Senior vice president and chief credit officer

707-569-4927

Year assumed position: 2015

Significant news: The economy is continuing to improve, thus we are seeing more demand from clients and prospective clients to grow their businesses, acquire new equipment, expand facilities and add employees. Our focus this year on lending local is in full-swing. We recently added another seasoned commercial loan officer and two credit analysts to assist in processing new loans, further strengthening our local team.

Favorite SBA lending story: Anytime we can help someone build a business - whether it is the maiden voyage as a startup or helping with expansion of an existing business - is rewarding for the borrower and all of us involved in granting the loan. There is not one particularly favorite story, but many. As a local community bank, we take great pride in assisting businesses to grow and thrive.

The loan programs offered through the Small Business Administration continue to support local businesses, making our Sonoma County community economically stable and business-friendly. Our experienced team is knowledgeable about the SBA programs and assists customers through every step of the process.

Most-inspiring leader: My mother. An immigrant from Spain, she came to California with her family and grew up on a dairy in California’s Central Valley. She worked hard to learn English, earn her college degree and later her master’s degree in education. She set firm but fair rules as a mother and always instilled in her children the benefits of curiosity, continued education, hard work and giving back to the community.

•

TMC Financing

David Griffis

Senior vice president for business development

415-505-5023

Year assumed position: 2004

Significant news: TMC Financing recently added field staff in the South Bay and Los Angeles areas. We are now the No. 1 SBA hotel lender in California, according to SBA FOIA reports through February.

Over the past two years, TMC Financing has helped to create more than 300 jobs in the North Bay through SBA 504 loans totaling more than $70 million to 40 different businesses. Overall, TMC is the No. 1 SBA 504 lender in California and Nevada, having lended since our founding in 1981 more than $8 billion to 4,700 business to help create or retain an estimated 35,000 jobs.

Favorite SBA lending story: Every loan has a story that illustrates why the SBA 504 program is imperative for building sound, stable communities. Many of our borrowers can’t get financing elsewhere or can’t get loan terms as competitive as what the 504 offers.

One client, Kevin Reier, worked as a mechanic for years before opening Imperial Automotive in San Rafael. After 15 years, his landlord died, and the heirs wanted to sell the building. They gave him the first right to buy, but Kevin thought there was no way he could afford it, so he started looking for a new shop location.

In Marin, that kind of property is almost nonexistent, so he was facing starting over in another community. He even thought about going out of business, because in the auto-repair business, reputation and location are everything.

Then his real estate broker introduced him to TMC. We ran the numbers, and his payment wound up being the same as his rent. With only 10 percent down required by the 504 program, he was able to make ownership a reality. This is exactly what the SBA 504 program was made for - keeping a successful small business in business, when losing his lease could have forced him to close his doors if this type of financing weren’t available.

Most-inspiring leader: I’m inspired every day by my clients who demonstrate leadership by following their dreams, taking risk and carving out a livelihood for themselves and their employees right here in the North Bay. Most are deeply involved in their local communities and go out of their way to give back. In the process, they create and provide goods, services and jobs that make our local community such a great place to live.

•

Wells Fargo & Company

Seth Vander Woude

SBA business development officer

415-537-8287

Year assumed position: 2013

Significant news: We want to help every small business owner create a formal business plan to help organize their goals and future strategies. A written business plan also may be required by lenders before providing some SBA loans and lines of credit. Wells Fargo recently introduced The Business Plan Center, a complimentary online resource (WellsFargoWorks.com) that provides business owners with a simple, convenient way to create or revise business plans. It features a Business Plan Tool and Competitive Intelligence Tool, which provides insight on competitors and the market that business owners can use as part of the planning process.

Favorite SBA lending story: Two recent loans we approved for veteran-owned businesses are among my favorites. Earlier this year, we helped finance a commercial building for a Sonoma County service business. The SBA loan allowed this business to add more square footage, own the real estate and do so with a monthly payment that’s comparable to the company’s previous lease payment.

Then late last year, we financed the expansion of a medical practice in Northern California. The flexibility of an SBA loan allowed our customer to add a surgery center at his practice with limited cash out of pocket and affordable monthly payments.

Most-inspiring leader: Warren Buffet