Wells Fargo & Company has named Lisa Johnson as regional head for commercial banking in Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin.
Johnson is based in Chicago and reports to Richard Kerbis, head of Wells Fargo’s Midwest division of commercial banking.
Johnson, who led Wells Fargo Business Credit’s Central Region, will be responsible for building Wells Fargo commercial banking’s presence throughout the region. Wells Fargo has 3,400 employees in Illinois and 1,400 in southeastern Wisconsin.
"Illinois and southeast Wisconsin are terrific markets for Wells Fargo because of the significant number of owner-operated middle-market customers," said Kerbis, who leads a network of 18 commercial banking offices in nine Midwest states. "Continuing to expand these markets in particular is a big focus for commercial banking’s national strategy."
Johnson began her 26-year commercial banking career with United Bank of Denver (now Wells Fargo) and moved into the asset-based lending group in 1990.
Citizens Bank Business Finance, the asset based lending, commercial finance product and service group of Citizens Bank, has named Philip Ostroski senior vice president and business development officer. He will work from the Citizens Bank branch at N56 W 16949 Ridgewood Dr. in Menomonee Falls and will work with lending personnel at Citizens Bank locations throughout Wisconsin, Iowa and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Ostroski will work with business clients on obtaining capital financing, rapid growth, financial and strategic acquisitions, shareholder buyouts, dividends and distribution, turnarounds and restructurings, consolidations, mergers and roll-ups, seasonal and cyclical needs and other special needs or business requests. He will also market this specialized product throughout the Twin Cities, Chicago and other Minnesota and Illinois markets.
“We’re very excited for Phil to be joining our commercial banking team,” said Mark Fleshner, Citizens Bank-regional president for Wisconsin, Iowa and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. “He’s bringing with him a wealth of experience and knowledge in lending and is going to be a great addition for our financial institution.”
Before joining the team of Citizens Bank Business Finance, Ostroski was managing director for MorrisAnderson, a nationwide business management and financial consulting group. He is a member and secretary of the Chicago Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association (TMA).
Mark Ziety, CFP, has been named financial advisor at Brookfield-based Shakespeare Wealth Management, Inc.
Ziety will prepare financial plans for clients, assist with preparation and follow-up for client meetings, and coordinate with the client’s other advisors to ensure optimal results. Shakespeare will leverage Mark’s technical skills, as he will be researching current tax laws and financial strategies that will benefit Shakespeare’s clients.
“We are very excited to add Mark Ziety to our team,” said Kevin Reardon, CFP, President of Shakespeare Wealth Management, Inc. “Mark will bring a tremendous amount of technical expertise, enhancing the level of service we can offer our clients. As one of the few fee-only financial advisors in Wisconsin, we have seen an increase in demand for our services. Adding Mark to our team will certainly help us as we grow.”
