On Friday, October 11th, we lost a dear friend and colleague, Kevin Monahan, to pancreatic cancer. I met Kevin in 2005 when he worked at Business Loan Express (BLX) as a Business Development Officer (BDO). We worked together on a construction loan for a Country Inn & Suites hotel in Ithaca, N.Y. for one of my clients. The transaction was very difficult, but Kevin persevered and got the loan approved. Today the hotel is one of the best performing in the Country Inn franchise system.
Kevin was passionate about his work and loved the hospitality industry. Kevin taught me everything I know about SBA 7(a) lending. He was always willing to share his knowledge with me.
I remember one call from Kevin who was beaming with news, “Mike, I have been named BDO of the year at BLX.” I was not surprised, as his work ethic, patience with borrowers/referral sources and his production levels all pointed to him being a top performer. The recognition was well deserved.
In the spring of 2009, we received word that a tumor had been discovered in Kevin’s pancreas. We were able to follow his journey through a blog written by his wife Phuong (http://mohny.blogspot.com). After his tumor was surgically removed, Kevin began intensive medical treatments that were very fatiguing. In 2010, Kevin asked if he could refer some loan transactions to us. By doing so, it would allow Kevin and ValueXpress to interact, stimulating his mind and distracting himself from his illness. We at ValueXpress agreed wholeheartedly.
Kevin had a passion for sharing his knowledge of commercial lending with others, and he became an instructor at Commercial Capital Training Group, teaching budding mortgage brokers the ins and outs of mortgage origination once a month in Albany, N.Y. Watch a clip of Kevin in action here.
At Kevin’s memorial service, I learned that despite his incredible work ethic, his wife and his three wonderful kids came first with him. There was a slide show at his memorial, and in every picture he had his arms around his wife or kids, always in a hug, which said it all.
Kevin, may you rest in peace.
– Mike Sneden