Meet the
Sales Team
Business Development Officers
Inside Sales
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Essie Vargas
Mohammad Sharif
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Curtis Sutherland
Curtis Sutherland, Head of Sales & Business Development at TAB Bank in Ogden, Utah, boasts over 20 years of expertise in Asset-Based Lending and structured finance. Directing TAB’s inside and outside sales teams, he specializes in crafting bespoke finance solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises. Curtis thrives as a dynamic leader, particularly relishing collaborations with entrepreneurs keen on business expansion.
Before assuming his current role, Curtis spearheaded management of the West Coast ABL and factoring portfolios, including TAB’s Dallas, TX-based factoring office post the successful acquisition of competitor, BamFi.
A proactive member of UBA, SFNet, TMA, ACG, and RMA, Curtis graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Weber State University’s John B. Goddard School of Business.
Chris Mitchell
Chris is TAB Bank’s Vice President and Business Development Officer based in Atlanta and is responsible for sourcing new business opportunities in the Southeast. Chris has over 25 years of experience in the asset-based lending and factoring industries.
The majority of Chris’s career has been providing small to mid-size companies with asset-based loans, accounts receivable financing, factoring, and equipment funding solutions to support their working capital needs. Recently, Chris’s experience includes positions at Hitachi Business Finance, Greenfield Financial, and other boutique finance companies. Earlier in his career, he started First Capital Corporation’s Atlanta office as Vice President/Region Manager where he was responsible for new loan origination for asset-based lending and factoring transactions for small to mid-size companies throughout the Southeast.
Chris is an active member of the Commercial Finance Association (CFA), Turnaround Management Association (TMA), Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), and the Risk Management Association (RMA). He graduated from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance.
Dustin Jacobson
Dustin is TAB Bank’s Vice President and Business Development Officer based in Denver, CO. Dustin has 15 plus years in the Asset-Based Lending arena.
Prior to joining TAB Bank, Dustin spent 13 years with Wells Fargo, holding various positions from field exam to originations. In 2015, Dustin was recruited by NBH Bank to help build out its ABL platform. Other responsibilities included underwriting, relationship management, and originations. Dustin’s most recent position was Managing Director for Sunflower Bank. Dustin was tasked with building out the ABL team and platform for Sunflower’s growing portfolio.
Dustin has a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Finance from the University of Wyoming. Dustin covers the Rocky Mountain region which includes the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, and Idaho.
Dustin is a member of the Turnaround Management Association, the Association for Corporate Growth, and the Risk Management Association.
Ralph Kourtjian
Ralph is TAB Bank’s Vice President and Business Development Officer based in Detroit and is responsible for sourcing new business opportunities in the upper Midwest. He has over 30 years of experience in building relationships and creating solutions in the asset-based lending arena.
Ralph’s career has been centered on creating custom financing solutions for small to medium-sized businesses and developing relationships with business owners and professionals across a wide spectrum of industries and business types. Previously, he worked in business development, special asset management, credit analysis, and marketing roles with First Business Capital Corporation, Monroe Bank & Trust, Accord Financial, Wells Fargo Business Credit, Finova Capital Corporation, and Comerica Bank.
Ralph has a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Oakland University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Wayne State University.
Ryan Gabriel
Ryan is TAB Bank’s Vice President and Business Development Officer based in Seattle, WA. Ryan has 20 plus years’ experience in the Asset-Based Lending arena with additional experience in Digital Marketing.
Ryan covers the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada and is primarily responsible for sourcing new business opportunities by providing asset-based and factoring working capital facilities to commercial businesses in this region.
Prior to joining TAB, Ryan spent most of this time within the Riviera Finance group of companies, including Business Facilitators, Inc. (dba Business Factors), Riviera’s digital marketing arm. In 2016, Ryan was tapped to salvage the Business Factors lead generation model after Google’s reformation into a PPC (Pay Per Click)-centric advertising business, helping the business successfully navigate Google’s deployment of its ‘Penguin’, ‘Panda’ and ‘Hummingbird’ algorithm updates. In 2019, Business Facilitators, Inc. posted a record year for new booked accounts.
A 2001 graduate of New York University, Ryan earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Marketing from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business.
Tim Green
Tim is TAB Bank’s Vice President and Business Development Officer based in Perryville, Missouri. Tim has more than a decade of experience in asset-based lending.
Tim worked for GE’s Commercial Finance group for two years before joining TAB. Before GE he worked for nine years with Associates Commercial Corporation and Citigroup.
Tim has a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Tim covers the upper Midwest which includes the states of Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan.
Tim is a member of CFA, IFA, TMA, MoTA and IMTA.
William J. Bahls
Bill is TAB Bank’s Vice President and Business Development Officer based in Philadelphia, PA. Bill has 20 years in the Asset Based Lending and Factoring arenas covering most of the Northeast.
Bill started his career in the equipment leasing industry and moved into the Asset Based Lending/Factoring for small to mid-size businesses. Prior to joining TAB Bank, Bill had positions with Presidential Financial, Keltic Financial and Sterling National Bank.
Bill is an active member and past President of the New Jersey Secured Financial Network as well as a member of the Philadelphia SFNET, (TMA) Turnaround Management Association, (RMA) Risk Management Association, (NYIC) New York Institute of Credit, (CCC) Commercial Credit Club, and the (CFL) Commercial Finance League.
Traci Crabtee
Traci Crabtree is TAB Bank’s Vice President and Business Development Officer, expanding the bank’s presence in Southern California. Crabtree brings more than 20 years of experience in corporate finance and leadership in middle-market direct lending.
Crabtree has been with TAB Bank since 2018 and was recently promoted from Director of Corporate Credit, Underwriting.
Throughout her career, Crabtree has built deep expertise in asset-based, cash flow and real estate lending, with a specialized focus on the healthcare industry. She has led numerous system integration projects, developed robust financial modeling tools across a wide range of borrower industries and implemented real-time, paperless borrower reporting solutions to improve efficiency and transparency.
“Traci’s wide-ranging experience and customer-first mindset make her a tremendous asset to TAB Bank,” said Curtis Sutherland, Senior Vice President and Head of Sales at TAB Bank. “Her background in complex credit structures, paired with her ability to balance risk management with relationship-building, will help us build value for our clients. Traci embodies our mission to unlock dreams with bold financial solutions that lift and empower, especially as we grow our presence in Southern California.”
Crabtree’s career progression has given her a comprehensive understanding of all facets of transaction structuring and portfolio management. Before joining TAB Bank, Crabtree held senior roles at several regional and national financial institutions, including Vice President, Team Leader at Pacific Premier Bank; Vice President, Senior Portfolio Manager at Siemens Financial Services; and National Audit Director at DVI Business Credit. She began her asset-based lending career working for several years at FINOVA Capital.
Sam Cirelli
Sam Cirelli is the Northeast Business Development Officer for TAB Bank (“TAB”). TAB is focused on asset based lending, lender finance and factoring with a target hold size ranging from $3MM to $15MM in loan size on a national basis.
Mr. Cirelli has spent over 30 years as a corporate lender and advisor to small and middle market companies and oversaw and completed over $10 Billion in loan commitments in 700 transactions across diverse industries. He has extensive experience in executive management, portfolio management, underwriting, loan originations, and structuring. Mr. Cirelli was the founder and leader of two major asset based lending startups that generated significant shareholder value for RBS and Landsbank. He also grew the northeast region at Triumph Financial and helped grow the NY Office of Foothill Capital. He was a founding managing partner of Northern Lights Partners, a boutique Investment Bank raising capital and debt and providing M&A advisory. Prior to that, he served as EVP and Global Loan Origination Director for General Motors Finance, were he was responsible for the USA, UK and Canada markets. He spent 12 years at CIT in underwriting, portfolio management and loan workout.
Sam is passionate about arranging financing solutions for alternative lenders and for small to midsize companies.
Sam is a former part time adjunct professor at New York University, teaching Harvard Case Studies in Corporate Finance and a former part time adjunct at Wagner College teaching undergraduate and MBA programs in corporate finance. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and an MBA degree from St. John’s University. He formerly served on the Boards of Directors of Opus Connect, TMA, ACG and ABI.