Azadian Group, a commercial financing provider headquartered in New York City, announced the opening of a full-time office in Chicago, to service existing clients in the Central U.S. and to capitalize on opportunities in the region.

The company has hired Ryan Heckman, a banking and commercial lending veteran, to head up business development efforts out of Chicago.  Heckman was most recently Executive Vice President at LQD Business Finance in Chicago.  Prior to that, Heckman spent over 25 years in banking and commercial finance, including senior-level roles at Comerica Bank, National City Bank, LaSalle Bank, and Fifth Third Bank. (www.linkedin.com/in/ryanrheckman)

“We are very excited to have Ryan on our team, spearheading our growth in Chicago and the Midwest region,” stated Raffi Azadian, CEO of Azadian Group.  “Ryan’s multi-faceted background, well-rounded skill set, deep relationships and subject-matter expertise will be of great benefit as we work to break into and expand our business in this new territory.”

Founded in 2003, Azadian Group provides short-term financing to small and medium businesses.  Its solutions have included: Bridges to third-party financing, M&A or liquidity events; Subordinated stretch pieces and over-advances in conjunction with senior institutional lenders; and Interim working capital to improve a business’ financial condition in preparation for bank/non-bank financing.