In late 2024, Franklin Capital announced that Bob Seidenberger joined as vice president of sales. In his new role, he focuses on advancing Franklin Capital’s growth strategy and growing its sales team.

With almost 40 years in commercial finance, including recent roles at Bridgeport Capital and Bay View Funding, and a strong commitment to helping businesses secure working capital, Seidenberger brings substantial industry knowledge to Franklin Capital’s senior team. In this role, he collaborates closely with Sue Duckett, chief operating officer, and Gary Edidin, chairman.

Here we sat down with Seidenberger to learn more about his new role at Franklin Capital and his predictions for the industry this year.

TSL: Congrats on your new role at Franklin Capital! Before we dive into that, can you provide our readers some background on your career?

Bob Seidenberger:  I earned a degree in finance and accounting from Penn State University in 1984 and began my career through Miami National Bank’s credit training program. Over the past 40 years, I have worked in asset-based lending at multiple banks and spent two decades in the commercial finance sector.

With deep expertise in story credits, I have built strong relationships with bankers, often helping them place clients who no longer fit within traditional lending parameters. As banks adjusted their risk appetites, many customers sought alternative financing when their lines of credit couldn’t be renewed. Recognizing this gap, I transitioned from banking to commercial finance, where I could provide flexible working capital solutions through ABL and factoring. Having worked on both sides, I understand the challenges banks face and have developed a network that connects businesses with the funding they need when traditional options fall short.

What are you enjoying about your role at Franklin?

Franklin Capital is an excellent company to be a part of, thanks to its strong team and efficient process. I appreciate having a range of financial solutions to support businesses and working in an environment where decisions are made quickly and with flexibility.

I enjoy learning and understanding our customers' needs and determining the best financial solutions for them. At Franklin Capital, we support businesses at every stage—from the initiation of a new order to final delivery—regardless of size, from startups to well-established companies.

Our Stretch Financing enables us to fund supplier deposits, while purchase order financing covers supplier payments upon shipment. Once the final product reaches the customer, our accounts receivable financing provides additional working capital, ensuring seamless cash flow throughout the entire process.

Additionally, the leadership team is highly supportive, entrepreneurial focused, and having direct access to decision-makers ensures we can provide timely and effective solutions. Our COO, Sue Duckett, is always available to help me to discuss client needs and explore the best financing options.

What have been your top priorities in your new position as VP of sales at Franklin Capital?

I have had two main priorities since joining Franklin. The first is to grow both the business and professionally within an evolving financial landscape. The second is expanding my network to serve as a trusted resource for businesses in need of working capital solutions.

What are your predictions for the industry for this year?

The year started with optimism and we saw a huge amount of new business propositions, however, tariffs have had a large impact in our PO world and will continue to do so.

Importers are working hard to have their product manufactured outside of China, but this is not a simple solution and takes time.  More companies will look towards Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and India for product, however, not all have the infrastructure to deliver as quickly as China and clients may decide to maintain their current supplier for this reason, hoping to pass on the tariffs to the buyer.  We are seeing China reduce their prices to some clients to counteract the tariffs, but of course these are the stronger, larger clients and our smaller clients will not see the same forgiveness.

There are a lot of changes right now and, as negotiations continue, the tariffs are likely to have an impact on inflation, which impacts the banks’ lending appetite.  I believe independent lenders will continue to see a higher level of accounts receivable business, especially as the banks start to withdraw if interest rates increase as well as more defaults where clients cannot afford to service their loans.

The tariffs have an impact on our [purchase order financing product.  The increased costs will impact some prospects if they cannot manage the margins needed for us to approve the transaction.  Margins are required to ensure payment made by the end customer will cover our initial outlay and fees. This is likely to have an impact on new business this year. On a good note, many of our clients had already anticipated this and found alternative suppliers, away from China.

There continues to be growth and innovation in non-traditional alternative lenders. Fintechs continue to grow and during times of uncertainty I have seen businesses take more of these flexible funding solutions at a premium cost, I do not believe this will change and with the world of AI growing faster, the speed of getting money in the bank will only increase, but not without a watchful eye from regulators.Based on what is happening in the world today, what is clear is that lenders now need to adapt quickly and move with the technology changes and be prepared for any more regulatory shifts, providing products that fit with borrowers needs with speed and the right pricing.

Of course, any change in policies can shift our world overnight, so who knows…

When you’re not busy at Franklin Capital, what can you be found doing?

I start my mornings at the gym by 6:00 a.m. I also stay active coaching my 11-year-old daughter's sports teams. I coach her year-round as the JV girls’ basketball at her Catholic school as well as her soccer and volleyball teams.

Family is a priority—I come from a large family and moved back to my hometown, Bethlehem, PA, from California to be closer to my parents. My father passed in fall 2024, and we now live a block from my 93-year-old mother, spending as much time with her as possible. We really love to travel and, when time allows, we make it a point to take a couple of vacations together.