United Community Bank continues to strengthen their specialized lending division by welcoming Paul Pickhardt as SBA Manufacturing Vertical Manager. Pickhardt, a veteran SBA lender with manufacturing experience, will lead the formation of a lending division offering government guaranteed lending options to service the specific funding needs of the manufacturing industry.
“Paul is the perfect person to expand and grow our lending services within the manufacturing industry,” said Richard Bradshaw, President of Specialized Lending at United Community Bank. “Paul has extensive experience both in manufacturing and with SBA lending. I am excited to have him spearhead the development of this vertical during a time of immense change in the industry.”
Pickhardt joins United Community Bank as part of the merger with The Palmetto Bank, where he served as manager and senior vice president of SBA lending. Previously, Pickhardt was Senior SBA Business Development Officer at TD Bank, where he was the top SBA lender in the state of South Carolina for four years.
“The merger of Palmetto Bank into United Community Bank creates opportunities to enhance the services we offer. Paul allows us to quickly go to market with SBA lending expertise to serve the needs of manufacturers throughout our markets,” said Bradshaw.
Prior to his banking career, Pickhardt was an operations/manufacturing executive with several apparel manufacturers and manufacturing consulting firms for more than 30 years.
“I am excited about the opportunity to grow this vertical within such a strong lending operation,” said Pickhardt. “United Community Bank has the experience and expertise in the manufacturing industry to create lending options to help businesses in this sector grow and achieve their goals.”
Pickhardt and his wife have lived in the Greenville area for nearly 15 years and have two adult children. Pickhardt has been involved with many community organizations, including the Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce, Upstate SCORE and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Pickhardt is also a Vietnam Veteran who honorably served his country as a Captain in the U.S. Army.
About United Community Bank
(UCBI) is a bank holding company based in Blairsville, Georgia, with $9.4 billion in assets. The company’s banking subsidiary, United Community Bank, is one of the Southeast’s largest full-service banks, operating 133 offices in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The bank specializes in personalized community banking services for individuals, small businesses and corporations. A full range of consumer and commercial banking services includes mortgage, advisory, treasury management and other products. In 2014 and 2015, United Community Bank was ranked first in customer satisfaction in the southeast by J.D. Power and in 2015 was ranked fourteenth on the Forbes list of America’s Best Banks. Additional information about the company and the bank’s full range of products and services can be found at www.ucbi.com.
Be the first to comment on "United Community Bank Commits to Growing SBA Manufacturing Lending with New Manager"