Coleman Movers & Shakers — Mike Pierson, Kerrin Yannotta, Vonezell Pittman, Raj Badri, Elise Roper, Fred Schmid, Ryan Foley

February 28, 2019

By Bob Coleman
Editor, Coleman Movers & Shakers

Coleman Movers & Shakers — Mike Pierson, Kerrin Yannotta, Vonezell Pittman, Raj Badri, Elise Roper, Fred Schmid, Ryan Foley

Gulf Coast Small Business Lending Announces The Promotion of Mike Pierson to Regional Sales Manager / Senior Vice President

Nimi Natan, Division President and CEO of Gulf Coast Small Business Lending says “Mike has been with us since we founded this platform, and we are all delighted as he steps-up to the regional sales manager role, in which he will support our sales team and help us continue our growth.”

Mike is beginning his sixth year with the company and seventeenth year in the Small Business Lending industry. Mike will oversee the eastern United States sales team from his office in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.

TD Bank Names Kerrin Yannotta as Business Development Officer in SBA Lending

TD Bank has named Kerrin M. Yannotta as Vice President, Business Development Officer in SBA Commercial Lending. She is responsible for expanding TD Bank’s SBA loan production, serving commercial clients in New Jersey’s Union and Essex counties

Kerrin has eight years of experience in banking, lending and business development. She joined TD Bank in 2016. Kerrin is a member of the Garden State Credit Associates.

A Morristown, N.J., resident, Kerriin volunteers with the American Legion and supports Hope for Veterans. She is a 2010 graduate of Rutgers University.

Acclivity Financial Adds 5 SBA BDOs

“This is an exciting time to be at Acclivity Financial,” says Danny Preston, President and CEO. “We’re now in the top 3% of lenders nationwide for production of SBA 7(a) loans. Furthermore, we’ve increased headcount by over 15% in the last 90 days. Adding local, experienced professionals to each market is key for our nationwide growth. Vonezell, Raj, Elise, Fred and Ryan all have a history of high-performance, and we couldn’t be happier to have them on board.”

Vonezell Pittman joined Acclivity Financial in November 2018. He has over 10 years’ experience in commercial lending and secondary market advisory. He has dedicated the last 5 years of his career to originating, structuring and participating in the USDA Rural Development programs. He’s responsible for originating over $125,000,000 in USDA B&I loans. Vonezell received his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Gardner-Webb University.

Raj Badri joined Acclivity Financial in January 2019. A longtime Chicago resident, he has 15 years of commercial lending experience with the SBA program, specifically in the hotel, gas station and franchise industries. Raj has sales expertise under the SBA 7(A), 504 and USDA programs. In the last 15 years, he has closed over $150,000,000 in hotel loans. Raj received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from University of Illinois.

Elise Roper joined Acclivity in January 2019 and has over 29 years in commercial banking experience: 21 years as an SBA Lender and 8 years in corporate office. Elise is originally from Los Angeles, California, and attended UCLA and UA in Birmingham. She currently resides in Birmingham, Alabama. Thus far in her career, she he has lent over $180,000,000 to U.S. small businesses.

Fred Schmid joined Acclivity Financial in February 2019. He has over 40 years of commercial banking experience, with 18 specific to the SBA program. Fred specializes in financing preschools and business acquisitions. The southern states are his primary market area. In addition to an MBA, Fred is a Florida State Certified Commercial Real Estate Appraiser and a member of the Florida Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders (FLAGGL) board. He has a vast understanding of SBA regulation and is most creative in the structuring of his loan proposals.

Ryan Foley joined Acclivity Financial in February 2019. He has 6 years of commercial lending and SBA experience in both analysis and business development. He specializes in franchising and business acquisition loans. He’s a Chicago native but looking to get back to the warm southwest in Arizona where he graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in business and economics.