Wisconsin Lenders Conference
Thursday, May 16, 2024
Conferences and Training

WI Lenders Conference

SAVE THE DATE!

Thursday, May 16, 2024

​Kalahari Resort & Convention
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin​​​​

INFORMATION BELOW IS FROM THE MAY 2023 CONFERENCE. 
To be added to the interested list for 2024, please email us at uwspce-sbdc@uwsp.edu.

Details

Conference Highlights

The 2023 conference is a one day, in-person event that provides educational​ information and updates for commercial lenders through presentations from SBA, SBDC, RMA, Regulatory Agencies, and more! 

A variety of sessions will be available for new and experienced lenders and those who work with SBA loans. The conference features the SBA Lender Awards and a Networking Reception. 

Exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities available. Email uwspce-sbdc@uwsp.edu for more information. 

Who Should Attend


Bank presidents, CEOs, board and chamber directors, CPAs, commercial lenders, credit analysts, tellers, collection managers, financial, economic development professionals, business chambers, small business owners, and anyone in lending! 

Registration


Registration is now closed for the 2023 conference. 

​THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2023

Welcome and Keynote | 8-9 a.m.


Welcome Commentary
  • Patrick Gatterman, UW-Stevens Point Continuing Education
  • Eric Ness, Wisconsin Small Business Administration
  • Risk Management Association

Introducing Keynote Speaker: Bob Davis, President and Owner of Inspire Early Childhood and Little Explorers​

Bob Davis is the president, owner and founder of Inspire Early Childhood and Little Explorers Preschool, two very successful early learning programs that are pioneering new ideas in early education and shaping the next generation of minds. These schools now each educate over 250 students a year and are very successful businesses as well as schools.

Keynote: Lenders - Building Communities, Fueling Dreams

This presentation describes the twists, turns, tribulations and triumphs of the foundation of Little Explorers and Inspire Early Childhood and how lenders played key roles in their formation and success. What are the keys to success in small business and how do lenders decide what projects to fund and which projects to pass on? Explore lessons learn from our journey and ideas to contemplate when making decisions on funding.​​​

 Session 1 | 9:15-10:30 a.m.

A) SBA Business Loan Hot Topics

Presenter: SBA Headquarter Team

Please note that the presenter will be presenting virtually to the in-person attendees. 

B) 7(a) GP Processing - Your Guide to Quick Approval

Presenter: Bill Reed | SBA

Learn how to navigate the LGPC 7(a) loan submission maze to minimize the time it takes to get your loan guaranty approved and avoid common screen outs.​

*Please note that this session was previously offered as 7(a) Loan Origination, Processing, and Common Screen Outs.
​

C) Client Financials Not Ready? We Can Help!

Presenters: Luke Kempen​ and Alia Carroll | SBDC at UW-Eau Claire

Learn how the SBDC Capital Access Clinic can help prepare your clients for financing. Learn how the Capital Access Clinic works with clients, walks them through the financing process, assists clients in preparing financial projections including working through revenue streams and calculations to get them ready for lender financing. Also learn how this can help you close more loans.​

​D) SBA: Office of Capital Access

Presenter: Jonh Miller | Deputy Associate Administrator

The presentation will consist of a deep dive into the most up-to-date stats of the OCA loan programs. These loan programs include: 7(a), 504, Mission Programs, Microloans, Surety Bond Guarantee Program, and Disaster Activity. 

This is a mini session and will not be a full hour session.​​​​

E) RMA Regulators Panel 

Join representatives from Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Federal Reserve as we hear about hot topics in the regulatory world. Update on current conditions and issues facing lenders from a regulatory standpoint.

Panelist: 

  • Mike Larabee | Office of the Comptroller of the Currency I Milwaukee Field Office 
  • Curt Hribal | Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
  • Alan Sisson | Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI)
  • Bill Beier | Federal Deposit Insurance Corp


 Session 2 | 10:45 a.m.-Noon

A) 504 Loan Program - Overview

Presenters: Kyle Kuntz | WBD and Wesley Walsh | BLP

Learn how the SBA 504 long-term fixed rate option can get projects to the finish line and help you build long term customer relationships. The 504 program is a great option for business owners looking to acquire, expand, or refinance owner occupied commercial real estate and /or equipment at competitive fixed interest rates. The 504 program reduces your credit risk and can assist with liquidity concerns. This session will provide an overview of the 504 loan program including benefits, structuring, eligibility, and the latest updates on the enhanced 504 refinance options, which includes the ability to refinance SBA 7(a) loans. ​

B) Servicing​

Presenters: John Gossett | US SBA Fresno CLSC

How to Service your SBA Portfolio and avoid that call from your C.F.O – Where’s my Money!
​​​

C) SBA 7a Lending for Business Acquisitions 

Presenter: Byline Bank Team: Matt Dolsky, Michael Gest, Rogette Koby, Tom Lyons

Several Lenders from Byline will be discussing SBA 7a Lending for business acquisitions. We will cover topics such as the SOP rules, how we typically see the program used, and some real-world examples of loan structures. ​

D) Attracting, Retaining, and Leading a Winning Team

Presenter: Todd Kuckkahn 

Todd's talent engagement cycle is a 5-step process to retain and attract talent. It starts from the inside-out of the organization and individuals. Our talent is looking for meaningful engagement in the workplace. It's clear from the past few years that we can longer check our lives at the front door of the office.

E) Economic Outlook for the US and Wisconsin

Speaker: Thomas Walstrum

This session will cover the current state of the US and Wisconsin economies from the perspective of the Federal Reserve. Topics discussed will include GDP growth, the labor market, inflation, and the manufacturing sector.

 Lunch, SBA Lender Awards, Visit Exhibitors | Noon-1:30 p.m.


Please visit our exhibitor booths before or after the lunch program to learn more about their products and services. 

The SBA Lender Awards program will be from 12:15-1:15 p.m.


 Session 3 | 1:30-2:45 p.m.

A) 504 Case Studies

Presenters: 
  • ​​​​Kyle Kuntz | WBD ​
  • Wesley Walsh | BLP
  • Darren Parker | People's State Bank
  • Joshua Sopczak | Town Bank

Take an in-depth look at the SBA 504 loan program in action and hear real-life stories from the perspective of both the Certified Development Company (WBD & BLP) and the Participating Lender. New to the session this year will be two commercial lenders whom are both actively involved in offering the SBA 504 financing solution to their customers. This session will incorporate several case studies based on actual projects, including real estate acquisition, equipment acquisition, expansion with refinance, new construction, business acquisition, and refinance of existing government guaranteed debt."  


B) SBA 7(A) Loan Liquidation

Presenter: Nick Jellum | Jellum Law

In this session, attendees will learn how to properly manage their institution's SBA loan portfolio servicing and liquidation process in accordance with 7(a) Servicing and Liquidation SOP. 

C) 7(a) Program Integrity

Presenter: Eddie Ledford | SBA OCRM 
​
From basic to complex - learn about common errors that impair program integrity, the possible effects, how to correct, and, most importantly, how to avoid. When it comes to program integrity - it is definitely best to learn from the mistakes of others!​​

D) The Secret To My Exporting Success: Perspectives from lenders and their clients

Moderator: Gayle Roenbaugh | SBA Office of International Trade

​
Panelists: 
  • Thomas Meyer | Centrust Bank
  • Dan Abel | Pilot Project
  • Jason Phillips | First American Bank
  • Robert Fell | Iris Custom Solutions 
Tired of seeing case studies in PowerPoint? Join us to hear real discussions on how SBA's Office of International Trade solutions have benefited real lenders and companies in this fireside chat. Listen to two lenders and two borrowers discuss their exporting challenges and the solutions and benefits an export loan can provide to address those challenges. 

E) The Successful Bankers Guide to Relationships that Matter

Presenter: Matt Middendorp | Sales Math Consulting LLC

"Join nationally acclaimed speaker and bank sales coach, Matt Middendorp, to unlock the passion you already possess can give you the confidence you need to achieve your growth goals. In ""The Successful Bankers Guide to Relationships That Matter,"" Matt will guide your through his ""Formula for Success"" and show you how to...
  1. Recognize and move through the repeatable components of any conversation.
  2. Learn the 3 pieces of information that every customer must share before any sale can happen.
  3. Listen to ask the questions that get the answers you need.
  4. Uncover 3 questions you can ask yourself to ensure you offer your solutions with confidence every time."

 Session 4 | 3-4:15 p.m.

A) Considerations of E-Commerce Financing

​​​​Presenters: Travis Frazier and Ryan Black, First Business Bank​

​The pandemic caused an eCommerce explosion that saw  businesses perform at all-time highs fetching premium acquisition prices. Due to the limited collateral associated with these businesses and the robust cash flow they generate, they were attractive SBA 7a loan opportunities. Attend this session to learn what banks look for when identifying the right deals to finance and also learn how the bank’s ecommerce portfolio is performing to date. 

B) Lending to Employee Owned Businesses

​​Moderator: Kristin Forde, UW Center for Cooperatives and panel of experts

A panel of experts in the field of employee ownership will present on worker cooperative conversions and ways lenders can play a key role. As business owners consider succession planning, it's important to know that their best option may be to sell to their employees. Presenters will outline the structure of a worker cooperative, how it is different from an ESOP and ways lenders can participate in the financial stack to ensure the transaction is beneficial to employees.



C) Top 10 Things to Do Immediately When Deciding to Make an SBA Loan

​​Presenter: John Gossett | SBA

 Staff to save Time and Money! SBA lending is not really that Difficult!  
​​

D) Rural Development ​- A Great Tool for Mitigating Risk

Presenter: Cari Sabel | USDA Rural Development

Rural Development Guaranteed loans: Learn how to mitigate risk for your bank, create a great package for your client, work with projects that currently exceed your legal lending limit, and more!  We will discuss basic program regulations and eligibility.  Energy projects continue to be a "hot topic" so let's also investigate how RD can assist in this area for your bank and your clients! Whether it be solar panels, wind turbines, anaerobic digestors, we have programs than can assist.  
​

E) Three emerging credit risks potentially impacting your commercial loan portfolio 

Speakers: 

  • Justin Freeman | RSM​​
  • Rahul Vithani | RSM US LLP
  • Tim Aurrichio| RSM US LLP
The current US economic conditions are presenting headwinds ranging from increasing interest rates and inflation to availability of employees and a changing work environment.  While we have not yet seen direct impacts from these headwinds to the overall credit quality, there are emerging risks arising in the areas of commercial real estate and senior care that are beginning to show signs of weakness.  Given this unique economic environment, credit review activities and credit administration functions are critical to monitor and provide real time feedback to institutions.    ​

 ​Networking Reception | 5-7 p.m.

Stay for the evening and network with industry peers while enjoying hors d'oeurves and a drink, courtesy of our sponsors!


 Presenters

Get to know our presenters! Check out their bios. 


 Continuing Education Hours

Attendees will have the chance to earn up to 5.25 general CEHs at the Wisconsin Lenders Conference. 

We will have CEH forms available when attendees check-in for their name badges. Make sure you pick up one of the CEH forms at that time and have our moderators initial the forms at the end of each session to get credit for your session attendance. Completed CEH forms must be turned in to our staff at the registration booth at the end of the conference. Your digital CEH certificate will be emailed out within 14 business days after the conference. ​

Questions, please reach out to zyang@uwsp.edu​

 Trappers Turn Golfing

Trappers Turn is offering discounted rates​ for conference attendees. 

  • Wednesday, May 17, 2023: $59/person
  • Thursday, May 18, 2023: $59/person
  • Friday, May 19, 2023: $85/person

Price includes 18 holes of golf, golf cart, and use of practice facility. Various tee times available. Please contact Trappers Turn directly to make reservations.

Phone: 608-253-7000
Reference: WI Lenders Conference


 Lodging

4/18/2023 - The special lodging price has expired as of April 17, 2023. 

Special lodging prices available at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells for conference attendees. Reservations are separate from our conference registration. 

Special Lodging Rate

  • $139/night for Wednesday
  • $139/night for Thursday
  • $199/night for Friday
Special pricing expires Monday, April 17, 2023 or when room block is full. The Kalahari will NOT be extending the pricing beyond the expiration date and room block is limited due to various other group events going on the same week​. Please plan ahead. 

Reservations

Please note: If reservations are made via the Kalahari regular guest booking site or over the phone and not through the Passkey link (even before the group rate expires or room block is full), you may be charged the full resort fee by the Kalahari. ​​

Location:

Kalahari Resort and Conference Center
1305 Kalahari Drive
Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965

Lodging Cancellation

If you need to cancel lodging, please contact the Kalahari directly. Cancelling your lodging does not cancel your conference registration. Please refer to our conference cancellation policy.

Kalahari Notification - Please Read

"Per our policy at Kalahari Resorts, we DO NOT accept completed Letters of Authorization forms, Tax Exemption forms, nor Purchase Orders to be submitted to us at the hotel check-in. We have a dedicated team that approves these forms to ensure validity prior to attachment to the reservations prior to check-in. These forms should be submitted no later than 7 days in advanced to us at dellscallcenterfax@kalahariresorts.com or fax them to 608-254-6116. We highly suggest that the attendees submit these forms at minimum two weeks in advanced prior to the hotel check in so our team can process them in a timely manner. Failure to follow this procedure may result in full room and tax charges to the attendees on their personal cards; since our Front Desk will not accept these forms at check-in. If you have any questions at all, I am attaching a link to our website that will bring you to our general policy page for the entire resort, which explains our policies in full detail. (Link: https://www.kalahariresorts.com/wisconsin/help/faq/)." 

~ Kalahari Resort

 Conference Cancellation Policy

 

Conference registration cancellation or substitution requests must be made in writing to uwspce-bus@uwsp.edu. 
  • Cancellation requests made before April 22, 2023 - Receive full refund. 
  • Cancellation requests made between April 22-May 6, 2023 - Receive refund minus a $50 cancellation fee per registrant. 
  • No refunds after May 6, 2023. 
  • No refunds for no-shows or partial attendance. 
If you reserved lodging with the Kalahari, please contact them to cancel your lodging. Cancelling your conference registration does not cancel your hotel lodging.



 About Us

The Wisconsin Lenders Conference was created, and continues today, to educate current and prospective lenders on SBA lending programs, business lending programs, and relevant banking topics. The conference is a one day event, with a pre-conference RMA workshop available on Wednesday (separate from the conference registration) and conference breakout sessions on Thursday with a networking reception in the evening. 

Thank you to the 2023 Conference Advisory Committee for your dedication and hard work in putting the conference together. 

Bridget Condon

Vice President - Commerical Lending
CIBM Bank

​Chris Dedrick

Lender Relations Specialist
U.S. Small Business Administration

​Ellie Berg

Lender Relations Specialist & District International Trade Officer ​​​​
U.S. Small Business Administration

​Matthew Dolsky

Vice President, Business Development Officer
Byline Bank

​Jim Ebben

Vice President - Business Banker
Citizens Bank

Wesley Walsh

Loan Officer
BLP 

​Kyle Kuntz​

Vice President - Loan Officer
WBD

Patrick Gatterman

Center Director
Small Business Development Center at UW-Stevens Point

Melissa Torres

Vice President - Credit Risk Management
State Bank of Cross Plains

Mike Bahr

EVP - Chief Credit Officer
Hometown Bank

Andrew Brueggeman

Senior Vice President - Diretor of SBA Lending​
Associated Bank

Travis Frazier

SBA Portfolio Manager
First Business Bank

​

​Zia Yang

Outreach Specialist
Small Business Development Center at UW-Stevens Point​


 COVID Policy

KALAHARI COVID POLICY - Please review their policy.

Conference
At this point, to attend the conference, there is no official mandate on masking or attendee vaccination status/proof of negative test. The situation remains very fluid and, as such, if protocols should change, we will be certain to inform all conference registrants.

We will have masks and hand sanitizers in the conference rooms for your convenience. 

Please direct questions or concerns to uwspce-bus@uwsp.edu. 

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Thank you 2023 sponsors!

Learn more about our 2023 sponsor by clicking on their logo. 


Platinum Sponsor: 
rmaLogo.png


Gold Sponsor:

Networking Sponsor:

     First Business Bank Logo  Business Lending Partners - Wisconsin ​ WBD​​

​
Bronze Sponsor:

Wisconsin Center for Employee Ownership​


​​​   

Conference Coordinated By


UW-Stevens Point Continuing Education | 715-346-3838 | uwspce-bus@uwsp.edu

Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. 
Please contact Continuing Education at 715-346-3838 or uwspceweb@uwsp.edu.

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