June 2009 – Wells Fargo Increases Capital Commitment to Westlake Financial
LOS ANGELES, California – July 6, 2009 – Westlake Financial Services announces expansion into three new states: Maine, Connecticut and Alaska beginning July 1, 2009. Westlake also names Kyle Dietrich the new Assistant VP of Sales, who will be leading the Internal Marketing Team servicing these new markets. Westlake’s servicing footprint now totals 40 states.
“We look forward to introducing ourselves and working with dealerships in Maine, Connecticut and Alaska,” says Mark Vazquez, VP of Sales. “Whether a state has a customer demographic with below-average credit quality, or above-average credit quality (as these three states do), we’ve found that there is always a place for Westlake in these markets because we offer a full spectrum of programs that can help dealers make more money, regardless of the type of customer that walks on their lot.”
Front-end servicing will initially be done by the Internal Marketing Team for these states. This includes sign-ups as well as helping dealers become familiar with Westlake’s Buy Program and the unique features and tools available to them. Leading this team is Kyle Dietrich, who joined Westlake June 1, 2009 as Assistant Vice-President of Sales. Dietrich brings 18 years of finance experience to Westlake, with prior positions at Triad, WFS Financial, and Norwest.
“My role is to build upon what’s already been created and on-going at Westlake with great results,” Dietrich says. “I want to expand those processes and work with people to tap into their full potential as individuals. I want to create synergy within the group dynamic to improve and continue moving the company forward.”
Each dealer is assigned a specific Internal Marketing Representative who will be able to assist them with all aspects of their Westlake relationship. “The Internal Marketing reps develop a business relationship with the dealers,” Vazquez explains, “Just like our representatives in the field, the IMT and the dealers become familiar with each other and are able to build upon that relationship to increase business. We always want to give dealers ‘a way to go’ on every sales opportunity.”
Bret Hankey, VP of Originations, heads the department that works closely with dealers once the contract is in the office for verification, processing and funding. “We are ready and excited about working with these new states. Our goal has always been to provide exceptional customer service to all of our dealers, and we look forward to providing that same level of service to Maine, Connecticut and Alaska.” Hankey adds that the Originations Department is regionalized with specific teams set up for different markets. This allows them to tailor their schedule accordingly, and to become familiar with state-specific requirements and dealer needs.
Main and Connecticut will be part of Westlake’s Mid-Atlantic Region with Alaska joining the Pacific Northwest Region.
To learn more about Westlake Financial, including markets served and financing products available, visit www.westlakefinancial.com.