Scott Diehl

2019 Inductee, Wells Fargo Capital Finance

I began my career in 1984 with Foothill Capital Corporation and retired in 2017 from Wells Fargo & Company at the end of July 2017 having never changed organizations, although the landscape changed around me via an acquisition and a merger.  I started in 1984 as a Business Development Officer and assumed my first Management Job and Senior Leadership role in 1989 and retired having overseeing nearly all of the various business unit’s overtime within Wells Fargo Capital Finance.

Fortunately, I had a great mentor in Peter Schwab who took an interest in me and gave me the encouragement and support to build our business and great teams.  The result, between 1984 to 2017 the company grew organically, brought on new products and made acquisitions such that by the time I retired assets had grown 200 times from when I joined; it was team effort.  

I am proud of the financial and other meaningful achievements that I orchestrated for the company, but am equally proud to have been an advocate for all Team Members and diversity of our team. Throughout my career I always had an open door to any Team Member and was a mentor to many at all levels of the organization.

But, more importantly, I believed that I treated every Team Member in the company, regardless of their position or level in the organization, as an equal who was doing their part to make the business unit and Wells Fargo successful.

The source of my highest gratification are my relationships with so many Team Members within and beyond the groups I managed, who made me realize the positive effect I had on their experience and their positive experience upon me. 

What advice would you offer to someone just starting out in the industry?

• Most of all a pre-existing interest in business, how it works and how companies fuel our economy; 
• Listen and learn – never pass up time with an experienced person in the business;
• Take any chance to observe how lending is done;
• Be intuitive and don’t over think;
• Never pass up spending time with someone who is more senior in the business, but more importantly share your insights with people who are newer to the business;
• This business is all about making prudent lending decisions, but more important about how you can make a loan work – not how to kill it.
• But mostly be real and keep learning and evolving over your whole career.  Anything is possible!
• And finally - Remember…you have Collateral.  

What are some of the most memorable moments of your career?

• I had a great mentor, Peter Schwab, who took an interest in me even before the word “mentoring” wasn’t fashionable;
• The transition over time of the Foothill/WFCF business and the amalgamation of Congress, First Union ABL businesses and Century Business Credit, Castle Pines amongst others which became 200 times larger from when I joined Foothill;
• The ability to be creative;
• But most of all, the great efforts of the teams we assembled to build the business over time.

What role did SFNet play in your career development?

It was a great way to learn and feel like there was something more to the industry. I always looked forward to the Conferences.

How did you get your start in the industry?

I can’t lie, it was the University of Nepotism.  I met John Nickoll, co-founder of The Foothill Group, and a Brown University Alum and Trustee of the University as I was graduating from Brown. We played some tennis stayed in touch and eventually went to work at Foothill – my only job post College.