“David has been an amazing leader, mentor and friend. He wears his passion for the job and the team on his sleeve and makes each day a new adventure.” — Chris Maudlin, CLFP, Chief Operating Officer, Wintrust Specialty Finance

For David Normandin, a leader is someone who earns respect and inspires others to follow, shapes company culture and provides people with a unique sense of belonging.

Normandin wants his people to know he has their back, especially when it comes to achieving their goals. “If you can build successful people in life, they’re also going to be insanely successful in your organization,” Normandin says. “They’re going to be committed and stay with you.”

TAKING ADVENTURE TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Normandin’s leadership hinges on the culture he fosters at Wintrust, which he describes in one word: adventure. He believes that people are meant to “jump off cliffs” and take calculated, reasonable risks to achieve meaningful results.

Normandin has a clear strategy for maintaining this culture. Each quarter, his team gets together for two days to discuss every customer and align with how that customer is performing. “Sometimes, we have to realign ourselves and figure out solutions for problems, look for ways to do things better,” Normandin says. He begins these meetings by revisiting Wintrust’s vision, mission and core values, and how the team is delivering on these.

“David has continually pushed, challenged and encouraged myself and the team to grow both personally and professionally,” Chris Maudlin, CLFP, chief operating officer of Wintrust Specialty Finance, says. “David has always fostered an environment of hard work, respect and commitment to each other while, at the same time, encouraging people to focus on their passions outside of work.”

Normandin emphasizes that his team should feel good about their work — it shouldn’t be a matter of ‘clocking in, clocking out and getting a paycheck.’ “I want my people, regardless of the job that they’re in, to feel like what they do matters,” Normandin says.

DIVING HEADFIRST INTO EQUIPMENT LEASING
Normandin’s journey to where he is today began with his own adventure: entering the equipment finance industry right out of college. His opportunity came when company representatives visited his campus to interview students on the spot. Normandin kept a suit in his car for these occasions and eagerly signed up for day-of interviews.

Following one of these interviews, Balboa Capital hired him. He started in sales and gradually rose to manage the Irvine sales office, eventually overseeing the entire sales team. After 11 years at Balboa, Normandin founded Envision Capital Group in 2006, which he later sold to his partners in 2011.

Normandin continued to make strides in the industry after identifying a massive gap left by banks in equipment finance. He began pitching to banks to re-enter the industry and built his first bank-sponsored commercial equipment leasing company in 2012 within First PacTrust Bank.

Since then, Normandin has worked for several banks in the equipment finance space. His latest company shift was in 2018, when he joined Wintrust Asset Finance. He built a new vendor finance business for the company: Wintrust Specialty Finance. He has seen great success with this leg of Wintrust, which he remains the leader of today, having grown the business to over $1.2 billion in assets and over $2 billion in funding since inception.

EFFECTIVELY HANDLING CHANGE AND DOUBT
As the industry landscape changes, so does the way businesses are built. Although these changes are, at times, overwhelming, Normandin says hiring the best people possible and creating reasons to keep them engaged with the company’s mission will lend itself to not only keeping the business afloat, but allowing it to thrive year after year.

“David is constantly focused on how to help his team continue to grow and get better in their roles and careers,” Maudlin says. “Everyone should be lucky enough to work with a leader that will provide them the opportunity to prove yourself, challenge you to grow and push past your internal limitations, while supporting and having your back when hurdles arise.”

Normandin says it is crucial to push back against doubt when embarking on new endeavors. There will always be people who say “this is impossible” or “you can’t get this done effectively,” but Normandin has never let this stand in his way. “I love proving people wrong; that’s all the motivation I need,” Normandin says.

He believes that adopting a fearless approach — whether it’s toward emerging technologies, new methods or building businesses — is key. “When you build a solid strategy, work relentlessly hard and confidently put your best foot forward, you get things done,” Normandin says.

His strategic leadership style has driven his success in the equipment finance industry. He approaches every new venture with a clear vision and follows through with passion, drive and a committed team. “It’s the adventures in life and the great people you get to experience them with that matter most,” Normandin says. •