Green Bay, Wis.-based Associated Bank is expanding its equipment finance team by hiring staff in Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota.
The hires include Michael Gaona in Milwaukee as vice president; and Rich Pondel, Alex Williams, Alex Steinhaus and Thomas Wolf as senior vice presidents. Associated Bank promoted Jennifer VanHulle from a senior operations technician to senior sales and support specialist in Oconto, Wis.
Gaona, who is joining the bank in Milwaukee, has nearly a decade of equipment financing experience and was previously employed with CNH Industrial Capital, US Bank and GE Capital Healthcare Finance. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Pondel, who is joining the bank in Lake Geneva, Wis., has nearly 40 years of equipment financing experience and previously worked at Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Citizens Bank. He received a master’s degree from DePaul University, Chicago, and a bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University, DeKalb.
Williams, who joined Associated Bank in Chicago, has nearly 20 years of banking experience. He previously worked for JP Morgan, BB&T and GE Capital. He received a bachelor’s degree in finance from Michigan State University, East Lansing. Wolf, who also joined the bank in Chicago, previously worked for Wells Fargo Equipment Finance. He has a bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing from the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management, Minneapolis. Steinhaus, who has a bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University, Lubbock, has more than a decade of experience in banking, including at Amur Finance and Wells Fargo Equipment Finance. He joined Associated Bank in Minneapolis.
