Coleman Movers & Shakers – Vince Calicchia, Mary Leonard-Wilson, and Paul Gehr

September 23, 2021

Delaney Sexton
Contributing Editor

Coleman Movers & Shakers – Vince Calicchia, Mary Leonard-Wilson, and Nate Banchiere

Vince Calicchia Joins Community Business Finance as President

Bill Ebersole, CEO, states, “The Company chose Vince to prepare and implement the Community Business Finance growth plan with concentration on process, marketing, and regulatory compliance. Vince is a seasoned commercial lender with an executive background in SBA operations and management. He is a valuable addition to the highly experienced Community Business Finance team and his leadership skills will be crucial to identify, develop, and carry out the strategies necessary to continue to grow the business over the next decade and beyond.”

Calicchia has served on the company’s Board of Directors since its inception in 2005. Throughout his 31-year career, Vince has distinguished himself as a premier banker in Houston. He led a $65 billion regional bank as a senior business banking relationship manager, directed the SBA Lending Division for a $4 billion Houston-based community bank, and earned accolades as a top producing SBA lender. In 2008, Calicchia acted as President of the Houston Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders, an SBA industry trade organization, and he was honored by the SBA as Financial Services Champion of the Year for 2010.

“I am excited for the opportunity to shift my responsibilities from the board to the operations of Community Business Finance,” says Calicchia. “The company currently services a loan portfolio of over $125 million focused solely on small owner-operated companies. Business growth in our market continues to outpace the rest of the country, and capital at affordable and attractive terms to fund startups and expansions is in high demand. Bill and I both believe that we have just scratched the surface of the company’s true potential.”

Mary Leonard-Wilson Promoted to SVP and Chief Credit Officer at Exchange Bank

“Mary and I have been peers in community banking in Northern California for many, many years,” says Troy Sanderson, President and CEO. “Her reputation was beyond reproach back then, and that reputation has only been surpassed by my actual experience working with her here at Exchange Bank. We are very lucky to have her in this role and on our team.”

Before joining Exchange Bank, Ms. Leonard-Wilson served in lending and credit capacities with several independent community banks in the San Francisco Bay Area. Before that, she held a wide range of positions managing teams of lenders in New York, Chicago, and New Jersey, with a focus on commercial loan origination and loan portfolio management. She also participated in due diligence and integration teams for a number of bank mergers.

In 1994, Ms. Leonard-Wilson relocated to Napa Valley where she joined National Bank of the Redwoods (NBR) as head of Commercial Lending, assuming additional responsibilities as senior loan officer and chief credit officer until the bank’s merger with Westamerica Bank in 2005. In 2006, Ms. Leonard-Wilson co-founded Presidio Bank with the former NBR CEO and served as its chief credit officer, growing the bank to over $900 million in assets and over $700 million in loans before merging with Heritage Bank of Commerce in October 2019.

United Community Bank Welcomes Nate Banchiere as Vice President of Healthcare Lending

“We are pleased to welcome Nate to our team,” says Jessie Marolis, Senior Vice President of Healthcare Lending for United Community Bank. “Nate’s strong banking experience and willingness to find creative solutions to serve his clients’ needs sets him apart, and I look forward to the ways he will help our clients succeed.”

Banchiere comes to United with over 17 years of banking experience, holding a variety of roles including Credit Analyst, Commercial Relationship Manager, Small Business Consultant, and Vice President of Commercial Banking. Most recently, he served as the Senior Healthcare Business Banker at PNC Bank. He is a graduate of Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida and currently lives in Asheville, North Carolina.

“I’m honored to join a team that places such a high importance on personalized service,” says Banchiere. “It will be a pleasure to continue serving the healthcare community with the bank’s expansive resources, capabilities and expertise.”