New Wells Fargo commercial executive: Bank plans to widen Wichita footprint

Kansas native Talena Hooper said she is ready to help Wells Fargo’s commercial banking division take a bigger bite out of the Wichita market.

After starting in her new post last month as regional vice president for Wells Fargo’s Kansas City commercial banking division, which includes Wichita, Hooper said the division is planning to beef up its presence in the area.

“For the past 15 years, the Wichita market has been supported out of Kansas City,” Hooper said Tuesday during a visit to Wichita. “What we decided was that we needed to have a commitment to the Wichita market through people and presence.

“We have four bankers here, all with an average of 20-plus years of experience. We felt we needed to invest in a foundation that said we’re here and we’re going to be here for a long time.”

After bringing a team of several commercial bankers to Wichita in 2013 – the team works out of a small second-floor office space on North Main Street – Wells Fargo is on schedule to later this year move its commercial operation into Union Station at 701 E. Douglas, which is being renovated by Occidental Management.

“We plan to be in that building in the next month or two,” said Hooper, a Lawrence native and University of Kansas alumna who has been with Wells Fargo for 15 years. “Our team here has doubled its customer base in just the two years that it has been here. We’re proud of that, and we hope to continue that trajectory going forward.”

Hooper said Scott Ochs, senior vice president of the Wells Fargo commercial operation in Wichita, will continue to lead the four-person team but added that she will split time between her base in Kansas City and Wichita, likely making the trip to Wichita every “week or two.”

Saying the division’s plan is to be more aggressive in Wichita’s real estate market, Hooper said the local market tends to fare better than some during economic downturns because of the types of businesses it features.

“Wichita is based on the industrial-, manufacturing- and distribution-type businesses,” Hooper said. “It also features a lot of family-run generational businesses, which are typically a little more conservative in the way that they run their business. They tend to perform better in downturns.

“Our sweet spot at Wells Fargo is right where the core of Wichita’s economy is. As far as real estate, I think we view that as a way to show our commitment to the community – those are long-term positions.”

Hooper said Wells Fargo’s commercial arm targets businesses with annual revenue of anywhere from $20 million to $1 billion. The organization has about 140 commercial banking offices nationwide.

This story was originally published July 21, 2015 at 3:57 PM with the headline "New Wells Fargo commercial executive: Bank plans to widen Wichita footprint."