Utica Equipment Finance (UEF) recently announced two hires. Matt Stouffer has joined as Managing Director Sales and Chris Koennecke has joined as Associate of Credit & Underwriting.

Stouffer will be responsible for leading the company’s sales efforts in the Western United States. Before joining UEF, he held Senior Account Executive and business development roles with FNC/Ascentium Capital, Sunset Industries Inc., J.P. Morgan Chase, Bank of America and Pacific Net Mortgage/Starlite Realty.

“Matt brings deep knowledge of the Western U.S. market and a proven track record of building client and referral relationships in the financial services industry,” said Ed Stolarski, President of Utica Equipment Finance. “His experience and industry knowledge will be of significant value to clients.”

Koennecke will be responsible for evaluating and underwriting commercial lease and loan requests and managing a portfolio of accounts.

Stolarski added, “We continue to expand our presence across the United States and deepen our bench of top talent. I welcome Matt and Chris to our team, and look forward to their contributions to our growth.”

Utica Leaseco, a provider of customized asset-based equipment financing solutions, announced the formation of UEF, an affiliate company, in March. UEF is provider of equipment-based term loans and leases to companies throughout North America.