Start your Morning Early!

• Check-in to get your name badge 
• Grab food and coffee at the breakfast buffet​ 

Visit the Exhibitors

• Business Lending Partners  
• Entrepreneur Fund​​ 
• EWH University for Small Business​
• iBusiness Funding​ 
• Kapur Inc. 
• Livetrust Financial
• Office of Business & Entrepreneurship ​
• Midwest Business Finance Corporation
• REI Engineering Inc.  
• Small Business Administration  
• Small Business Development Center 
• Starfield & Smith  
• The Perk
• WBD, Inc.​ 
• Wisconsin Center for Employee Ownership ​

Welcoming Remarks

Our conference MC, Harlie Juedes, will kick off the day with a warm welcome to the 2026 36th Annual Wisconsin Lenders Conference. 

Frank Demarest will be welcomed onto the stage to provide the SBA Commentary.

Our Platinum Sponsor, Risk Management Association, will share a brief commentary, and the Midwest Business Finance Corporation Gold Keynote Sponsor will provide some remarks before introducing the keynote speaker.

Thank you to our Platinum Sponsor!

Thank you to our Gold Keynote Sponsor!

Thoughtfully Fit: The Core Workout for Resilience and Results

Pre​​se​​​nter: ​Darcy Luoma, Founder & CEO, Darcy Luoma Coaching & Consulting

Life is filled with challenges, change, and uncertainty. Relationships have conflict, you get blindsided, you feel stuck, and you don’t always handle yourself the way you’d like. The highest-performing leaders and teams train to clear these hurdles so they have the resilience to get results – despite the obstacles. You can’t control what happens to you, but you can control what you do next. That’s what Darcy learned first-hand when her life fell apart in the most shocking way. Drawing on her harrowing personal journey and decades of coaching across 48 different industries, Darcy reveals three powerful steps you can use immediately to clear the hurdles standing in your way of peak performance. So you get results, instead of regrets!

Closing morning remarks

Our Gold Keynote Sponsor, Jellum Law, will offer some closing remarks​​ as we wrap up the morning.

Thank you to our Gold Keynote Sponsor!

Enjoy a quick break and visit with exhibitors!

1) SBA 7(a) Loan Closing Best Practices ​

Presenter:

• Nick Jellum,​ President, Jellum Law, P.A.

​​​Proper loan documentation and closing procedures are critical in protecting a lender’s SBA guarantee. In this session, we will discuss the best practices to ensure successful and efficient loan closings.​

2) Uncommon Deals, Unconventional Solutions

Prese​nter: 

• Ryan Black, ​​Vice President of SBA Lending, First Business Bank
• Andrew Hendricks, ​​Assistant Vice President – SBA Lending
• Ben Woodward, Vice President, Business Development Officer, Banc of California

The session will go over case studies on unique SBA transactions that required ‘outside the box’ structuring. ​

3) Funding Opportunities for Manufacturers Using SBA Programs

Present​​er: 

• Keith Schlegel, Finance Manager, Office of Manufacturing & Trade, SBA

Provide insight into the SBA Programs that can assist manufacturers access to capital to support growth & taking on large contracts.

4) Everyday AI for Lenders​

Presenter: 

• Ben Udell, Founder, Ben Udell Consulting LLC

Lenders have significant upside in both productivity and performance when they apply GenAI to everyday tasks. You can move faster, communicate better, think more critically, and serve customers with confidence. In this session, you will see how to use ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and other GenAI tools to improve how you work today. Best of all, the examples shared require no sensitive data or PII. Through video demonstrations and real banking scenarios, we’ll walk through practical applications that support the way lenders actually work. You will see exactly how these tools can help you become a stronger, more effective banker. It is built for immediate application. You will leave with specific, practical examples you can use toda

5) RMA Regulators Panel

Presenter:​​ 

• Christopher Lewis, Senior Examiner, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago​
• Alan Sisson, Financial Examiner Supervisor, Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions
• Kevin Graff, President of Integrity Loan Review LLC, CPA, CRC
• Brandon Marriott​, Assistant Deputy Comptroller, Comptroller of the Currency

Join representatives from the Federal Reserve​, Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Integrity Loan Review LLC, and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ​as we hear about hot topics in the regulatory world. Update on current conditions and issues facing lenders from a regulatory standpoint.

Thank you to our Bronze Session Sponsor!

Take a break with some coffee and visit with exhibitors!

6) SBA Litigation and Liquidation

Presen​​ter: 

• Nick Jellum, President, Jellum Law, P.A.​

In this session, attendees will learn how to properly manage their institution’s SBA loan portfolio servicing and liquidation process in accordance with the 7(a) Servicing and Liquidation SOP.​​​

7) 504 Loan Program – SBA’s Premier Economic Development Program

P​​resenter:

• Kyle Kuntz, Senior Vice President – Loan Origination, WBD, Inc.​
• Wesley Walsh, Vice President & Loan Officer, Business Lender Partners (BLP)​

Join us for a high impact overview of the SBA 504 Loan Program — SBA’s premier economic development tool and one of the most effective fixed asset deal structuring resources available to commercial lenders today. This session will cover the essentials of 504 lending, including program benefits, eligibility, and proven structuring strategies that help lenders win and retain more business.

​Is your financial institution focused on loan growth in Owner Occupied CRE &/or C&I?

Then this session is for you. You’ll learn how the 504 structure reduces your bank’s credit exposure, helps borrowers preserve valuable working capital, and provides access to competitive, long term fixed rate financing your clients can’t get anywhere else.

We’ll also dive into the SBA’s Made in America Manufacturing Initiatives and the resulting impacts on the 504 program. These incentives — including meaningful fee relief for eligible manufacturing projects — can make facility expansions, modernization efforts, and major equipment purchases even more attractive. For lenders, this creates a powerful opportunity to support growth in a critical sector while strengthening portfolio performance.​

Whether you’re new to SBA lending or looking to sharpen your structuring toolkit, this session will equip you with actionable insights to help get projects across the finish line and build long term customer relationships.

8) Banking for Growth: Evaluating the Future, Not Just the Past​

Presenter:

• Kate Halfwassen, Owner, MKE Business Coach
• Brent Halfwassen​, Founder & Owner, MKE Business Coach

Most underwriting looks backward—focused on historical financials and past performance. But growth companies operate forward, where their greatest opportunities and risks exist. When businesses scale quickly, yesterday’s numbers often lag behind tomorrow’s reality, challenging bankers to evaluate deals where vision outpaces the balance sheet. This session equips commercial bankers with a forward-looking framework to assess growth-oriented clients. We’ll explore how to critically evaluate projections, separate credible strategies from wishful thinking, and assess whether leadership, operations, and systems can support projected growth—helping bankers reduce risk and confidently support high-potential clients.

9) Cracking the Generational Code: Unlocking the Secrets to Engaging and Retaining a Multi-Generational Workforce​

Presen​ter: 

• Treva Wetherell, Head of Coaching Services, LIFT Consulting​

Prepare to dive into the unique mindsets, motivations, and workplace expectations shaping today’s multigenerational workforce. This session equips professionals with practical strategies to strengthen collaboration, improve retention, and enhance performance by fostering harmony across generations. Attendees will learn how to empower senior staff to serve as strong mentors in professionalism and business etiquette, while also guiding junior staff to become receptive, collaborative, and highly capable teammates.

10) The Business of Change: Organizational Documents in Ownership Transitions

Presenter:

• Ja​​net Dery, Esquire, Starfield & Smith, P.C.

Please join me to learn about the organizational documents that are essential when there is a change in ownership of a business entity. I will start with entity basics – what are the documents that create and govern corporations, limited liability companies, and partnerships. With that basic understanding, we will go through change of ownership scenarios for each of these types of entities, specifically discussing which documents will be involved in the change and how they need to be created or revised.​

Thank you to our Bronze Session Sponsor!

Afternoon Remarks

Our Silver Sponsor, iBusiness Funding, will welcome us into the afternoon with some remarks. 

SBA will be welcomed onto the stage to begin the SBA Lender Award Luncheon which will go from 12:30-1:15 pm. 

​Please visit our exhibit booths before or after the lunch program to learn more about their products and services. 

Thank you to our Silver Sponsor!

11) SBA Loan Servicing – Being Confident in Servicing your SBA Loan Portfolio – How to Get er Done!​

Presenter: 

• John Gossett, Assistant Center Director Fresno Commercial Loan Service Center Post Servicing Actions​

Servicing Actions 7a and 504 Best Practices / Unilateral Actions / How to Submit a Request and Avoid Pitfalls and Delays​

12) 504 Case Studies

Presenter: 

• Kyle Kuntz, Senior Vice President – Loan Origination, WBD, Inc.​
• Wesley Walsh, Vice President & Loan Officer, Business Lender Partners (BLP)​

Take an in depth look at the SBA 504 Loan Program in action through real world case studies and insights from both the Certified Development Company perspective (WBD & BLP) and the participating lender. Back by popular demand, two experienced commercial lenders who actively use the 504 program will join this session to share their approach, lessons learned, and best practices for structuring successful projects.

This highly practical session will walk through actual 504 financing scenarios — including equipment purchases, owner occupied CRE acquisitions, new construction, business acquisitions, and refinance projects. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of how 504 structures perform in the field, how lenders and CDCs collaborate throughout the process, and how these tools can help get complex projects closed while strengthening long term customer relationships.

13) Closed Sites: Are They Really Closed?​​

Prese​​nter:

• Jim Bannantine, P.G., Kapur & Associates​

Many environmental cases have been investigated, cleaned up and closed.  However, many of these cases have been closed with remaining soil, groundwater and vapor contamination. To address residual contamination the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources requires continuing obligations that may include a cap, groundwater use restriction, or a vapor mitigation system. This presentation will discuss sites that have residual contamination, and how they can be addressed through the environmental due diligence process.​

​14) Lender Liability 

Presenter:

• Nick Jellum, President, Jellum Law, P.A.​​

​This session will discussion potential lender liability claims throughout the life cycle of a loan. ​​​

15) The People Side of Lending: What Financials Don’t Tell You

Pres​enter: 

• Kate Halfwassen, Owner, MKE Business Coach
• Brent Halfwassen​, Founder & Owner, MKE Business Coach

Financial statements tell a critical part of the story, but they rarely capture the full picture of a business’s health. Behind the numbers are people—owners, managers, and employees—whose decisions, leadership style, and culture ultimately drive performance and determine whether a loan succeeds or fails. A company may look strong on paper while quietly struggling with issues like poor leadership alignment, weak succession planning, toxic culture, or over-reliance on a single individual. These people dynamics can directly impact cash flow, enterprise value, and repayment ability, yet they often remain invisible to bankers focused primarily on financial ratios. In this session, we’ll dig into the human factors that matter most in commercial lending and explore how culture and leadership affect risk in ways that numbers can’t show. You’ll walk away with practical tools and questions you can use to surface hidden risks, strengthen client conversations, and better anticipate challenges before they impact the bank. By understanding the people side of lending, bankers can deepen relationships, protect their portfolio, and add meaningful value as trusted advisors.

Thank you to our Bronze Session Sponsor!

Take a break with our snack option and visit with exhibitors!

16) E-Tran Navigation – Tips and Tricks – Navigating thru E-Tran Servicing – What Another Error Message!

Presenter: 

• ​John Gossett, ​Assistant Center Director Fresno Commercial Loan Service Center Post Servicing Actions

Adding that New Obligor, Changing Ownership Percentages, Collateral…etc… ​

17) Tax Updates and Relevancy for Bankers

Presenter:

• Hunter Weckerly, Tax Manager, Wipfli Advisory LLC
• Mckayla Garski, CPA – Tax Manager​, Wipfli​

​This session will cover timely tax developments impacting businesses and individuals. Topics include the tax implications of the One Big Beautiful Bill and the Wisconsin Interest and Fee Exclusion, including its relevance to financial institutions and borrowers.​​

18) Key Performance Indicators and the Cash Flow Story They Tell

Presenter:

• Jos​​eph Hastreiter, Business Coach, EWH University for Small Business

When it comes to understanding financials, cash flow, and whether a borrower is truly loan-worthy, key performance indicators reveal the story the numbers are telling you. KPIs act as the path—the yellow brick road—that shows whether a business is, or is not, worthy of the borrowing they are seeking. In this session, we will highlight the importance of key performance indicators, identify the most critical KPIs, show where they appear on the financial statements, and explain how to use them with the financials and spreads you receive to understand a borrower’s true cash flow position and clarify the lending decision you are—or are not—going to make.​​

​19) Collaboration, Not Conflict: Communication Techniques that Build Relationships & Drive Results​

Pres​​enter: 

• Corie Hoffman, Leadership Coach + Culture Consultant, The Perk​

Team collaboration & connection are essential for growth, but they don’t happen by default, they happen by design. In this high-energy & high-impact workshop, your team will learn why collaborative teams & cultures have greater success (especially during times of turbulence & change), fresh perspectives & strategies to create & deepen connection, & how to confidently foster a culture of collaboration to drive engagement, inclusion, & business results. Together they’ll dive deep & explore the 3 catalysts that lead to optimal collaboration: cultivate a Collaborative Environment, adopt a Collaboration Mindset, & utilize Collaborative Behaviors​​​

20) The 2026 U.S. and Wisconsin Economies

Presenter:​ 

• Kevin Bahr, Chief Analyst, Center for Business and Economics Insight, Sentry School of Business and Economics, UWSP​
• Scott Wallace, Director of UWSP’s Center for Business & Economic Insight, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point 

The presentation provides an overview of the U.S. and Wisconsin economies focusing on economic growth, stock market performance, inflation, tariffs, interest rates, labor markets, housing, and small business.

Thank you to our Bronze Session Sponsor!

Stay for the evening and network with industry peers while enjoying hors d’oeurves and drinks, courtesy of our sponsors.​

Thank you to our Networking Sponsors! 

2026 Special Lodging Rates at the Kalahari

A block of rooms is available at the Kalahari Resort & Convention Center. Reservations should be made online to avoid excessive wait times and resort fees. 

Special rates:

• Wednesday, May 13, 2026 – $123/night
• Thursday, May 14, 2026 – $123/night​

Expiration date:

April 13, 2026 -OR- when room block is full. Whichever one occurs first. Please reserve your room as soon as possible.​

Location:

Kalahari Resort and Conference Center
1305 Kalahari Drive
Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965

Making a Reservation: 

Rooms can be booked online at the Booking Website. 

Lodging Cancellation

If you need to cancel lodging, please contact the Kalahari directly. Cancelling your lodging does not cancel your conference registration. Please refer to our conference cancellation policy.

Kalahari Policy – Please Read

• ​Authorization Form
• Tax Exemption
• Purchase Orders​

“Per our policy at Kalahari Resorts, we DO NOT accept completed Letters of Authorization forms, Tax Exemption forms, nor Purchase Orders to be submitted to us at the hotel check-in. We have a dedicated team that approves these forms to ensure validity prior to attachment to the reservations prior to check-in. These forms should be submitted no later than 7 days in advanced to us at wireservationssupport@kalahariresorts.com​ or fax them to 608-254-6116. We highly suggest that the attendees submit these forms at minimum two weeks in advanced prior to the hotel check in so our team can process them in a timely manner. Failure to follow this procedure may result in full room and tax charges to the attendees on their personal cards; since our Front Desk will not accept these forms at check-in. If you have any questions at all, I am attaching a link to our website that will bring you to our general policy page for the entire resort, which explains our policies in full detail. (Link: https://www.kalahariresorts.com/wisconsin/help/faq/).” ~ Kalahari Resort

Trappers Turn is offering discounted rates for conference attendees again this year!

• Thursday, May 14, 2026 – $79 for any Lenders Conference golfers

Price includes 18 holes of golf, golf cart, and practice range use​. 

​Various tee times available. Please contact Trappers Turn directly to make reservations.

Phone: 608-253-7000
Reference: Wisconsin Lenders Conference 

UWSP Continuing Education works hard to communicate all special meal requests and allergies to the conference venue. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, we cannot guarantee all special dietary needs can be met. If you have specific dietary needs (i.e., kosher, low salt, low carb, keto, etc.), you may wish to make alternative meal arrangements. 

Meal tickets for dietary needs such as vegetarian, vegan, or gluten free can be accomodated at the Kalahari.

Conference fees cannot be adjusted due to special dietary needs. ​​