LenderClose today announced the addition of three new employees, each of whom joins the Des Moines-based fintech startup from out of state. Software engineers Russ Panula and Radha Talluri joins from Minnesota and Missouri, respectively, while Relationship Manager Sam Faust joins from Mississippi.
Panula, an information systems developer with 25 years of experience, has devoted his career to using the most innovative engineering techniques to move quickly from design to implementation. His resume includes engagements with some of the most well-known brands in the U.S. market, including Pillsbury, Target, Merrill Corporation and Robert Half. An entrepreneurial spirt guides much of Panula’s work, as he has tackled several personal development projects alongside his employment track. These include the creation of a foreign exchange trading tool to help international investors conduct trades more simplistically and the building of various JavaScript libraries, which he contributes to the larger software developer community at no cost.
Talluri, also joining LenderClose as a software engineer, most recently served as a research assistant for the University of Missouri’s Networking and Multimedia Lab. There, he designed and implemented several user-centric tools to improvement engagement with one of the lab’s software tools. These included a gateway portal, API endpoints and a chatbot feature that increased usage of the university’s neuroscience gateway by 40 percent.
Faust, who will serve as a relationship manager for LenderClose, is joining the firm from Statewide Federal Credit Union in Mississippi where he was a service specialist within the financial cooperative’s lending team. His direct experience with underwriting, processing and dispersing loans gives him an excellent view into the daily challenges and opportunities facing community lenders. Leadership skills, honed during his time as a security team leader aboard a U.S. Navy ship, are another of the assets Faust will apply to his role within the fast-growing firm.
Sam Faust
Russ Panula
Radha Talluri