Brian Gagel

Senior Vice President, National Portfolio Manager, eCapital Commercial Finance

40 Under 40 Category: Portfolio/Risk Management

Brian Gagel is senior vice president, national portfolio manager for eCapital Commercial Finance, where he leads a team of relationship managers and account executives whose primary mission is to provide effective working capital solutions and leading customer experiences while upholding the security interest and profitability of eCapital Commercial Finance.

Prior to this, Brian held various roles with Bibby Financial Services USA and Renasant Business Credit, where he gained vast experience in Asset Based Lending, beginning as an analyst and later an account executive, underwriter, and risk officer. He has valued experience developing creative asset-based lending solutions for commercial companies in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, wholesale/distribution and B2B service companies. Before he began his career in the Financial Services Industry, Brian served eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he adopted the core values, honor, courage, and commitment, which he continues to uphold throughout his professional career.

Brian holds a BBA in accounting from Kennesaw State University – Michael J. Coles College of Business.

What is the best professional advice you have been given and how have you implemented it? 

The Marine Corps instilled in me its proverbial “KISS” principle – Keep it Simple Stupid. The KISS principle states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complex. The idea here is to not “over-engineer” a product or process to the point the average user cannot use it or implement it. The adoption of this principle has allowed me to structure working capital solutions in a way that are easily understood by all parties involved, ones that integrate seamlessly into our systems, processes, and controls, while also being easily amendable to support future growth of our customer businesses. 

What is your definition of success?

Success feels and looks different for every single person. For me, success is an ever-evolving journey with purpose and fulfillment in the forefront of my work life, family life, and spiritual life. For the longest time I viewed success as a faraway destination, only being achieved at a certain income level, Rolex on my wrist, and cruising up to my dreamhouse in that exotic car. This luxurious vision of success is still very attractive to me but, if it is achieved in the absence of purpose, fulfilment, and other successes along the way, then the final destination will be at the end of empty roads traveled. 

How do you define a good leader?

There are many characteristics that are used to define and shape good leaders. There are countless books, articles, seminars, and life coaches that speak on what it means to be a leader. In its simplest form, I define good leadership as someone who can adapt to their surrounding environments and empower their team to succeed together. Leadership is not the successes of one individual, but stems from social influences and requires a team to reach a common goal. To do this one must create an inspiring vision, and then motivate and inspire others to reach that vision. 

When interviewing newcomers to the industry, what do you say to pique their interest on why they should accept a position in this industry?

What I have always enjoyed about the commercial finance industry is the uniqueness of each client relationship. With each relationship comes individual challenges, but with the commonality of supporting the client business as a strategic lending partner. Each credit or client relationship carries its own risk profile, and it is this that drives the structure of the deal, the management of the deal/client relationship, and ultimately the risk-to-reward relationship. At face value, commercial finance can seem vanilla, but it is far from it. Commercial finance can be a fast paced and creative environment that continuously presents opportunities for endless growth if you are at the right shop. When speaking with newcomers to the industry, I try to bring some of this excitement to the table, because the commercial finance industry is truly exciting in the most unique way.

Did you change the way you approach work while working remotely during the pandemic?  Have these habits stayed with you as we emerge from the crisis?

My approach to work while working remotely went relatively unchanged. Well, other than working in athletic leisurewear, possibly not showering until the end of the workday, and all dining etiquette going out the window. All of which will need to normalize as we emerge from this crisis. No judgment here, please.