Wintrust Commercial Finance (WCF), a division of Wintrust Asset Finance, is celebrating seven years in business this month.

Since its inception in 2015 with four founding employees, WCF has since grown to a staff of 50, including new personnel hired in the WCF Aviation Group. This expansion, coupled with the established East, West and Central Region direct origination teams and its robust Capital Markets platform, allows the company to provide comprehensive support for clients in all industries across the country.

“We’ve grown quickly since we started WCF in 2015, and I’m so proud of the way we haven’t lost sight of our entrepreneurial spirit and our focus on building personal relationships with clients,” Kirk Phillips, president and CEO of WCF, said. “Despite challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and now geopolitical events, we’ve continued to expand and serve even more clients across the country. The dedication of this team is incredible, and I’m grateful every day for their commitment to our customers, our partners, our sponsors, and each other.”

“From the beginning, WCF has been an extremely valuable division of Wintrust Asset Finance,” Mike Knowles, president and CEO of Wintrust Asset Finance, said. “The group was born out of the idea to really hone in on our clients’ specific needs and build a team of equipment finance and leasing specialists that could focus on this space. Under Kirk’s leadership, the team has continued to exceed expectations, and most importantly, provides personalized customer service and best-in-class financial solutions to our clients.”