Leadership
Experience You Can Trust
As President and CEO of Aspire Lending Solutions, LLC, Eric Vessele brings more than three decades of commercial real estate lending, credit, and portfolio management experience to Aspire Lending Solutions.
Eric's career spans banks, credit unions, and national finance companies, giving him a 360-degree view of what it takes to build safe, profitable, exam-ready commercial real estate (CRE) portfolios.
Over 36 years, Eric has led teams across every stage of the CRE lifecycle:
- Loan Origination
- Structuring and Underwriting
- Closing and Servicing
- Annual Reviews
- Workouts
- Foreclosures
- REO Dispositions
He has managed hundreds of millions in performing and non-performing assets, overseen multi-billion-dollar closing pipelines, and consistently delivered strong credit performance through multiple economic cycles.
Before founding Aspire, Eric co-founded Apex Capital Solutions, a full-service commercial real estate firm that partners with credit unions and banks from origination through servicing and workouts, often acting as a de facto commercial lending department.
Highlights
- Originated more than $300 million in commercial real estate loans.
- More than 20 years leading credit and risk management.
- Managed annual commercial loan closing pipelines exceeding $1.5–2.0 billion.
- Primary liaison during numerous NCUA and FDIC examinations.
- Acted as Group Compliance Officer, ensuring compliance to Patriot Act and Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements.
- Served as a bank Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Officer.
- Managed and restructured large, complex CRE portfolios across multiple asset classes and geographies.
Why Leadership Matters for Aspire's Clients
Aspire was built around Eric’s core philosophy: quality over quantity, safety and soundness first. His background gives credit unions and other lenders confidence that every loan Aspire brings forward has been structured, underwritten, and documented with a conservative, exam-friendly mindset.
Clients benefit from:
- A proven track record of growing commercial portfolios responsibly while protecting capital.
- Deep familiarity with NCUA expectations, credit union governance, and multi-state CRE lending.
- Hands-on leadership from someone who has personally done the work— originating, underwriting, closing, servicing, and resolving complex credits.
When you work with Aspire, you are working directly with a seasoned CRE credit executive who understands both the opportunity and the risk—and is committed to helping your institution expand member business services, diversify its balance sheet, and generate sustainable, low-risk income.
Let Aspire's Expertise Work For You
Aspire provides seamless integration with your existing member and business lending services and helps your credit union originate Commercial Real Estate loans with less overhead, generating sustainable, low-risk income.