AnalytiQ™ is a direct result of my work with Laurel Peak.

I’ve spent a lot of time inside credit teams, and one pattern comes up again and again. You have analysts who want to grow, and managers who want to support that growth, but it’s not always clear what the next level actually looks like.

Most analysts are well trained on financials and ratio analysis. What’s less developed is the ability to step back, form a point of view, and communicate it in a way that influences a decision.

The analysts who stand out are the ones who can tell a story, support it with the numbers, and give credit approvers the clarity they need to make strong decisions.

AnalytiQ™ is built around that idea.

When I work with groups, I often start with a simple ice-breaker question:

“How did you find your way into commercial lending?”

The answers are always different. Very few people planned on this career. I didn’t either.

I left college with a degree in Music Performance. A family connection led to a bank internship in commercial lending, and somewhere along the way I realized I was good at this work, and it was good to me. That was the start of a 20-year career I never expected, and would not trade.

My commercial lending career began at Bremer Bank, where I worked across loan processing, credit analysis, analyst management, and project management within credit administration. Over nearly 15 years, I grew alongside the organization as it expanded from a community bank to a regional institution. During that time, I also earned my MBA and PMP.

In 2017, I joined Wings Credit Union at a pivotal moment. Commercial lending was a new business line, and I joined as the first in-house underwriter. That role quickly expanded into building and leading teams across credit analysis, loan operations, and business deposits, ultimately supporting a portfolio of more than $1 billion in commercial loans with a team of over 20 after just six years.

That experience led me to start Laurel Peak Consulting.

Today, I work with credit unions and community banks that are serious about growing their commercial lending programs and investing in the people behind them. My approach is practical and people-first. When individuals have the right tools, processes, and training, they do their best work. When teams understand how their roles connect, they communicate more clearly, move faster, and deliver better outcomes.

AnalytiQ™ is one part of that work. It reflects what I’ve seen, what I believe, and what teams need to move forward with confidence.