Franchise Capital

Allan Hauptli has 25 years of experience in middle market lending, with 20 years in the franchise restaurant lending space. He serves the upper Midwest and Plains states. He previously held the position of Vice President, Account Manager for GE Capital Franchise Finance. Prior to that, he was a Sales Vice President position for Fleet Bank in their Restaurant Franchise Finance Division for 10 years. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Illinois State University and a Masters of Business Administration in Finance from DePaul University.

April Rutten recently rejoined the franchise restaurant lending industry after a brief stint in the medical recruiting field. She worked for more than seven years with Irwin Franchise Capital in the same South territory that she covers today with Marketing Vice President Melanie Gutzmer. A Nebraska native, Rutten is anxious to learn about franchisees' upcoming projects and financing needs.

Cassandra Jeffryes is an Account Manager serving the Western United States. She has experience with sales, sales management, customer support, and banking. Before joining Pacific Premier Bank, Ms. Jeffryes worked for Pinnacle Bank and the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce. She also worked as a Regional Manager for Educatius International, placing international students, and recruiting families and schools.

Chuck Fletcher has more then 25 years in the middle market banking/commercial lending industry with over 15 of them in the branded retail/franchise food business. Prior to his involvement in franchise lending, he managed a team of salespeople who negotiated vendor finance programs at Citicorp, NA. During his tenure in franchise lending, he had been a partner and SVP/Sales at Peachtree Franchise Finance and held Sales Vice President positions for both FMAC and Finova Capital.

Fletcher has a degree in Accounting from William Paterson University.

As an Account Manager, Jenny Beaver serves the upper Midwest and Plains States. Jenny brings a vast background of human resources and customer service to her clients.

A Nebraska native, Jenny holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Doane College.

As a franchise restaurant finance industry veteran of more the 20 years, John Rinaldi brings a wealth of experience as EVP/Director of Franchise Lending at Pacific Premier Franchise Capital. He leads a team that has worked together in various organizations within the industry.

Rinaldi is the past President and CEO of Infinity Franchise Capital and Irwin Franchise Capital, the strong predecessor of First Franchise Capital. Prior to those engagements, he was the executive vice president and chief executive officer of Franchise Capital Services, executive vice president of Federated Capital Corporation and senior vice president and chief executive officer for Bell Atlantic Capital Corporation. He held the positions of Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operations Officer and President of FMAC.

Lloyd Droller has more than 35 years of experience in underwriting loans, risk management and portfolio management. He has been a Chief Credit Officer in the franchised restaurant lending industry for more than 20 years. Droller has also worked in the healthcare, science, technology and graphic arts and broadcasting industries.

He earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration at the University of Hartford.

As a franchise finance industry veteran of more than 20 years, Michael Vallorosi brings creativity, growth, and leadership to his position as EVP/Director of Franchise Lending at Pacific Premier Franchise Capital. 

Vallorosi is the former Managing Director and Group Head of Franchise Finance at CIT Bank.  Prior to CIT Bank, he served as Head of Franchise Finance for TCF Bank and co-established a new Franchise division for Pitney Bowes where he held the position of Director of Sales. 

Michael holds an MBA in Finance from Fordham University.

Sarah Gehring is an account manager serving the Southeast States. Having worked most recently as an HR Business Partner, Sarah brings a background of banking, customer service, and human resources to her clients. A Midwest native, Sarah studied Accounting at Central Community College.

Sharon Soltero has worked in the franchise restaurant finance industry since 2004. She facilitates communication between the nation's most successful restaurant brands and Pacific Premier Franchise Capital as well as develops and manages all marketing and advertising activities. Additionally, she assists other financial professionals in brokering deals to Pacific Premier. Previously, she was the Corporate Communication Manager for Nebraska Public Power District.

She holds a bachelor's degree in organizational communication with a minor in journalism from Wayne State College.

Suzanne Tellis has over 20 years of franchise finance experience both in restaurants and retail petroleum. She previously worked for Citizens Bank, Infinity Franchise Capital, and Citi Capital holding positions in documentation, credit underwriting, and relationship management. Before her career in restaurant finance, Suzanne worked as a Finance Manager in the restaurant industry. Ms. Tellis received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business & Finance from California State University Fullerton.