Encina Equipment Finance, LLC (EEF) announced the addition of three experienced executives who will further strengthen EEF’s Operations and Risk functions.

Jaime Soter joined EEF as Vice President of Operations and is primarily focused on operational activities including documentation, booking and servicing. Soter joins EEF from People’s Capital and Leasing Corporation, where she spent five years as part of the in-house legal department responsible for managing documentation for the commercial equipment financing arm of People’s United Bank. She has extensive experience with legal documentation, perfection of security interests, operational policies, procedures and processes, and corporate governance. Prior to joining People’s Capital, she worked for 10 years at Webster Capital Finance, Inc. in various capacities in Contracts Administration and Operations. Soter has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Central Connecticut State University and a Doctorate in Jurisprudence from Western New England University School of Law.

Kate Kallmeyer joined EEF as Vice President of Risk and is primarily focused on underwriting activities with a portion of time going to support and manage existing portfolio assets as well. She joined EEF from Nations Equipment Finance (NEF), a non-bank equipment finance company where she worked on both lease and loan transactions ranging from $1 million to $20 million. Kallmeyer joined NEF in 2011 and held various roles of increasingly responsibility in both underwriting and portfolio management. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Binghamton University in May 2011, where she also played Division 1 lacrosse.

Matt Shikarides joined EEF as Assistant Vice President of Risk and is primarily focused on portfolio management activities, with a portion of time also going to support underwriting and related activities. He joined EEF from Global Jet Capital, where, since April 2017, he worked as a Portfolio Analyst on secured business aircraft transactions ranging from $5 million to $75 million. Prior to Global Jet, Shikarides worked at NEF from June 2013 to March 2017 as a Credit Risk Analyst, supporting both underwriting and portfolio activities. He graduated from the College of Mount Saint Vincent in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance.

The three new executives will be based at EEF’s headquarters in Westport, CT.

Rick Matte, EEF’s President and Chief Commercial Officer, said, “I am delighted to welcome Jaime, Kate and Matt to the EEF team. Each of them has an excellent record of accomplishments and brings relevant expertise that will enhance EEF’s underwriting, operations and portfolio monitoring capabilities as we look to further grow the portfolio.”

Encina Equipment Finance launched in June 2017. It provides loans and leases ranging in size from $5 million to $50 million and secured by essential-use machinery and equipment. The platform provides financing to both privately owned (sponsor and non-sponsor) and publicly traded companies across a wide range of collateral types, industries (including, but not limited to, construction, distribution, energy, food processing, healthcare, information technology, manufacturing, mining, paper & packaging, and transportation) and use cases (including loans against existing or newly acquired assets, leases of newly acquired assets and sale-leasebacks of existing assets).