Coleman’s Movers & Shakers — Rosemarie Codling, Christy Lester, Jonathan Smith, David Griffis

February 1, 2018

By Bob Coleman
Editor, Coleman Movers & Shakers

Coleman’s Movers & Shakers — Rosemarie Codling, Christy Lester, Jonathan Smith, David Griffis

Rosemarie Codling Joins Signature Bank of Georgia as SBA Director of Portfolio Management & Support Services

“Gaining a person with Rosemarie’s strong SBA background in portfolio management and support services solidifies a level of experience with our SBA Lending Team which our clients will come to understand as a valued resource during the SBA lending process,” says Eva Farag, the Managing Director of the SBA Lending Group. “The SBA process can be challenging without the experienced support from someone who knows the ins and outs of the SBA process and getting the loans closed. Rosemarie brings that level of expertise and more to the team.”

Rosemarie says, “Identifying ways to help my clients achieve their goals and providing the expertise they deserve to make the process as easy as possible, is one of the responsibilities in my job that I thoroughly enjoy. Small businesses are the backbone of our community, and seeing them succeed makes me feel successful.”

Codling brings 12 years of experience in the SBA Portfolio Management field to Signature in addition to retail banking client experience from earlier in her career. She began as a portfolio manager for a financial institution in New York in 1998. Since then, she’s gained a unique level of expertise in client relations as an Assistant Branch Manager and most recently concentration within SBA Lending. A BBA graduate in Management, Codling also holds her Masters from Mercy College in New York.

Christy Lester Named VP and BDO of Small Business Lending for Poppy Bank

“Christy is a great addition to our team and brings with her a wealth of knowledge in commercial financing specifically within the SBA and USDA B&I arena,” says Wayne Wirth, Senior Vice President and Director of Small Business Lending at the Northern California-based Poppy Bank.

“I am excited to join a team of experienced small business lenders who have extensive experience and know how to get the job done for our customers. I am looking forward to growing the lending platform to a national basis,” states Christy.

Throughout her SBA career, Christy Lester has consistently been a lead producer working for several top ten national SBA lenders. She has been recognized as an influential member of the SBA lending community, speaking on SBA lending panels and educational presentations to referral partners. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President of SBA Business Development for Celtic Bank.

Harvest Names Jonathan Smith SBA BDO in Northeast

Jonathan Smith joins Harvest Small Business Finance with nearly 15 years of small business lending experience. Jonathan was most recently Director of SBA Lending for Northeast Bank in Boston, MA. While at Northeast Bank Jonathan was tasked with establishing a National SBA Division. Under Jonathan’s leadership they reached the SBA Top 100 in less than 6 months and remained in the top 100 throughout his tenure.

Prior to Northeast Bank, Jonathan was the SBA Sales Manager for TD Bank’s National Team as well as the SBA Franchise Team. Jonathan led the build-out of this new team for TD that focused on lending out of their traditional footprint as well as establishing strategic partnerships with select franchise systems.

Jonathan serves as a board member for Pine Tree State CDC in Portland, ME as well as an advisory board member for the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center.

While receiving his B.S. in History from Suffolk University in Boston, MA, Jonathan also was inducted into the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society for his achievements.

David Griffis Named Senior Loan Office for Redwood Credit Union

As a senior small business administration and commercial loan officer, David Griffis will focus on SBA and commercial real estate loans in San Francisco and Marin counties. Griffis previously served as a senior vice president of business development at TMC Financing. Prior to that, he worked in the media sales industry for 10 years.

Upcoming SBA Lending Professional Industry Events

Southeastern Small Business Lenders Conference, March 7-9, Asheville

Western Pennsylvania Association of Government Lenders, Seven Springs Resort, March 14-16

Coleman Report Death Valley Road Trip, March 16-18

Mid-America Lender’s Conference, April 15-17, Fort Worth

Great Lakes Lenders Conference, Detroit, April 16-18

NAGGL SBA Lending Technical Conference, May 1-3, Chicago

NADCO Spring Summit, May 6-9, Arlington

Franchise Times Finance & Growth Conference, May 7-9, Las Vegas

America West, June 20-22, Costa Mesa

America East, August 1-3, National Harbor, MD

National Alliance of Commercial Loan Brokers, October 16-18, Miami

11th Annual Secondary Market Summit, December 4, Washington D.C.