Mr. Fleites has twelve years of commercial banking experience. Before joining North American in September 1998, Mr. Fleites spearheaded the commercial lending effort for the Fort Lauderdale office of Northern Trust Bank of Florida. As Vice President-Commercial Lending, he originated, structured and managed middle-market lending transactions for a variety of industries. Previously he was Vice President with First Union National Bank of Florida, where he focused on asset-based lending transactions as well as the marketing and sales effort for all ancillary bank products. Mr. Fleites began his career as a Credit Analyst with Barnett Bank. He received a B.S. in Finance and an M.B.A. from Florida State University.