Crestmark promoted Steve Hansen to first vice president, Western Division sales manager from regional first vice president, business development officer. Hansen, who worked in the Houston market, is now responsible for growing Crestmark’s business west of the Mississippi, and he becomes a member of Crestmark’s management committee.

Shannon Stetson was promoted to regional vice president, business development officer. She will now represent Crestmark in Houston and Louisiana, as well as her existing territory of South Texas. The Dallas market, and surrounding area, will continue to be represented by Regional First Vice President Melinda Fricke who also leads sales initiatives in Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Steve Hansen is one of Crestmark’s annual top performers. Since joining the company in 2009, he has demonstrated leadership in the development of new business, and expanded Crestmark’s client base. Known as a strong client advocate, Hansen’s extensive product knowledge allows him to develop financial solutions to meet each client’s unique objectives. In his new role, Hansen will develop and implement sales strategies, and lead an existing team of five experienced business development officers to expand Crestmark’s presence in the Western U.S. Hansen, who reports to Ray Morandell, is based in Houston, and works closely with Western Division President Pat Haney.

Hansen’s career in the finance industry spans more than 30 years. He joined Crestmark in 2009 as vice president, business development officer, and since then has been part of the Baton Rouge, LA/South Region in Crestmark’s Western Division. Before coming to Crestmark, Hansen was a vice president for Summit Financial Resources. Earlier, he was a vice president, business development officer for Transaction Based Services.

“Steve Hansen is consistently one of Crestmark’s top performers,” said Ray Morandell, senior vice president, national sales director. “To this new role, Steve brings a strong grasp of how Crestmark’s financial products can help businesses, a deep commitment to helping clients, and strong leadership skills. Steve and his solid team of BDOs will work together to build on our success in the West.”

A certified public accountant (CPA), Hansen has been a professor for the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the University of Houston. He has taught courses on “Cost and Budget” and “Capital” to students earning degrees in Entrepreneurship. Additionally, Steve has been a guest on CNN AM 650, speaking on “Cash Flow and Your Business.”

Shannon Stetson, now regional vice president, business development officer for the Western Region, joined Crestmark in 2011 as a business development officer for the Austin/San Antonio area, and then later the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Stetson is respected in the industry and known for a consultative approach. She is relocating to Houston, and will work with Hansen to ensure Crestmark maintains its strong connections with small- and medium-sized businesses in the Greater-Houston community. In addition, she will represent Crestmark in Louisiana, and continue to work with clients in South Texas. Stetson’s background is in financial services, health care and corporate communications. She came to Crestmark from Morrissey & Company where she was a senior associate. Earlier, she was an account executive at Levenson & Brinker Public Relations in Dallas.

Melinda Fricke, regional first vice president, is based in Dallas. She will continue to serve clients and build Crestmark’s presence in the Dallas/Fort Worth market, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Fricke joined Crestmark in 2008, and has more than 20 years of experience in the finance industry. Fricke helps clients secure asset-based lines of credit, and factoring lines to meet their needs for working capital and growth.