Meet Our Team

After working for Bay Area Development Company since 2017, Rich was appointed President & CEO effective October 1, 2022. Rich has been involved in various facets of SBA lending for nearly 30 years. Rich graduated with a BS in Managerial Economics from UC Davis. Rich says what he likes most about his work is helping small businesses achieve financial success through their ownership of commercial real estate. He’s helped finance companies that have become household names but one of the most rewarding clients was a small auto-related service company, whose owner told Rich, “Your company has done more to help my business than anyone ever has”. A fun fact about Rich is that he’s a twin. Rich loves spending time with his wife, Colleen and their three children. He enjoys skiing, golf, cheering on the SF Giants and 49ers and enjoying the craft beer and wine country of Sonoma County.

Joe earned his business degree from St. Mary’s College and began his career in the Business Banking Group at Wells Fargo Bank. Joe joined Bay Area Development in 1996 and since that time has been a driving force in shaping the culture of the company. Joe is a very determined and seasoned financial professional. He is highly motivated and what makes his day is creating and delivering the best possible financing solutions to each and every customer he has…and he has a lot of them. Joe has been active in youth baseball at every level, in his church and in local school programs. He and his wife, Teresa, have twin sons including one who was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2022 MLB draft by the Cleveland Guardians.

After earning a BS in Business Administration from University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Bob began his career in the commercial finance industry. He spent 11 years working as a credit analyst, senior credit officer and director of training for Heller Financial (and various predecessor companies) before joining Bay Area Development in 1995. As one of the company’s most senior employees and focusing on the North Bay Area, Bob has been instrumental in helping many companies grow and succeed over the years. Working with the owners of each company, learning about their businesses and how they differentiate themselves from the competition, are the things Bob enjoys most about his position. He also believes in giving back to the community and served for ten years as a board member for Petaluma-based non-profit Healthy Community Consortium. Bob likes to spend his down time playing golf, watching sports and listening to music.

Mark Schwan joined Bay Area Development in 2023 and serves clients throughout the Greater Sacramento Region. He previously worked at California Statewide CDC, growing the organization’s SBA 504 loan program, and his nearly 40-year career also includes business development positions with Bank of the West, GE Capital, and Heller First Capital. Mark earned a BS in Finance from California State University – Sacramento and says he has always enjoyed providing financial solutions that help clients’ businesses reach their full potential.

Outside of work, Mark is a volunteer and former board member with Project RIDE, a nonprofit organization based in Elk Grove, CA, that provides therapeutic recreational horseback riding instruction to people with special needs. He enjoys playing golf and listening to live music, as well as spending time with his wife, Lisa, their three grown children, and two young grandsons.

Deb has been processing SBA loans since 1986, so to say she has a wealth of experience would be an…

Elizabeth spent many summers in Santa Monica before moving to Northern California while continuing…

Fletcher earned his BA in Business Administration from University of Washington.

Heather joined Bay Area Development in 2021 and has over 15 years’ experience with the SBA 504 loan program.

Kim received her BBA (Finance) and MBA (General Business) from the University of Hawaii…

Levon joined Bay Area Development in 2020 and has over 15 years’ experience in lending, with a specialization…

Madieu moved to California in 2013 and has been helping small businesses obtain access to affordable…

Maria received her BS in Accounting from Cal State Northridge and put her degree to work in…

Michael Lampe is a Loan Analyst and Business Development Officer for Bay Area Development Officer…

Sidney is new to working in the 504 program and is looking forward to helping our borrowers in the best…

When Sue joined Bay Area Development in 1999, she already had ten years of SBA loan experience…

Susan joined Bay Area Development as a Closing Analyst in 2007.