Sunflower Bank announces that it has created a new Structured Finance Group to provide relationship-focused asset based lending (ABL) and leveraged finance services to lower middle market companies and private equity investors. TJ Kern, Structured Finance Group Manager and Team Lead, Dustin Jacobson, Managing Director of Asset Based Lending, and David Harper, Managing Director of Leveraged Finance have joined Sunflower Bank in Denver to provide structured finance capabilities across the bank’s footprint and beyond.
“Hiring this experienced Structured Finance Group is a great example of how our Commercial and Specialty Banking services provide innovative financial solutions that strengthen and build client relationships. The knowledge and depth of deal experience brought by TJ, Dustin, David, and the rest of the team enable Sunflower Bank to create possibility for those seeking senior debt solutions and asset based loans,” said James G. Fullerton, Chief Commercial and Specialty Banking Officer.
Kern joined Sunflower Bank in January of this year to establish and lead the Structured Finance Group. He has over 30 years of commercial banking experience including 12 years in leveraged finance, and previously managed the structured finance team at a publicly traded Colorado-headquartered bank with approximately $4 billion in assets. Kern has also served in progressively responsible commercial banking roles at national and regional banks. He earned his MBA from the University of Colorado and his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Bob Jones University.
As Managing Director of ABL, Jacobson identifies prospective borrowers and provides senior relationship management. He has more than 15 years of ABL and commercial banking experience most recently with a $4 billion regional community bank where he helped build the ABL platform, managed the ABL and Transportation Finance portfolios, and supervised a team of credit analysts. Prior to this role, Jacobson spent 13 years at a national bank with increasing responsibilities including collateral analysis, collateral exams, loan origination, and portfolio management. Jacobson earned his Bachelor and Master of Finance degrees from the University of Wyoming.
Harper, Managing Director of Leveraged Finance, is responsible for identifying and managing leveraged finance and other corporate banking opportunities. His career has included leadership roles in investment banking, private equity, operating companies, and commercial banking. Harper has been involved in more than 75 corporate finance transactions including M&A, private placements, public offerings, restructurings, and cross-border opportunities. Most recently, Harper was the CFO of a private company, responsible for returning it to profitability and bank covenant compliance, before serving as its investment banker in the sale of the business to a strategic buyer. Harper is a CFA and earned his MBA from Case Western Reserve University.