Pacific Western Bank announced that Melinda Fricke has joined the Bank as a Senior Vice President, Business Development Officer on its asset-based lending team. She will be located at the Bank’s Plano, Texas office. Melinda will expand the Bank’s efforts to deliver asset-based lending solutions to middle-market businesses in North Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

“Melinda is an exceptionally experienced asset-based lending professional who is well-respected in our industry” said Matt Lernor, Managing Director, Pacific Western Business Finance, “She is a welcome addition to our existing team and will help us accelerate our plans to grow our client base in a meaningful way over the course of the next year and beyond,” concluded Lernor.

With over 25 years of experience in asset-based lending, Fricke joins Pacific Western Bank after having spent the past twelve years working with Crestmark Bank as Regional first Vice President of Business Development in Dallas, Texas, where she was responsible for opening their first lending office in the state. Prior to Crestmark, Melinda worked in various business development roles for Summit Financial, Wells Fargo Business Credit, Fremont Financial Business Credit/FINOVA, and First Community Financial. Fricke is actively involved in both professional and charitable organizations within the community she serves. As a lending professional she is an active member of the Association for Corporate Growth serving on both the Women’s Committee and the 2021 Capital Connection Committee.  She is also the former Philanthropy Chair of the Women’s Finance Exchange. In respect to her community involvement, Fricke is Co-Founder and Treasurer of Stupid Strong, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to gastric cancer research and awareness. She holds her Bachelor of Science from Arizona State University.