Meet Our Staff

Ron Reuss

President

Ron has been actively involved in small business lending and economic development since 1979. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Penn State University and a Master of Arts degree in Economics from Syracuse University. He is also a real estate broker licensed in the States of Colorado and Florida.

During the course of his career, Ron has been associated with five SBA Certified Development Companies (CDC) situated within three different regions of the country:

in the early 1980’s, Reuss assisted in packaging 502/503 loans for CEDCO-Small Business Finance Corporation, Colorado’s statewide CDC;
in the mid-80’s, he helped start up Preferred Lending Partners on behalf of the City and County of Denver;
in the late 1980’s, Ron was an officer of Rochester Economic Development Corporation (REDCO);
after serving as Business Development Manager of the City of Thornton, Colorado, Reuss then headed up Front Range Regional Economic Development Company, know as Colorado Lending Source, and:
he currently serves as President of GulfCoast Business Finance, Inc. in the Tampa Bay region of Florida.

Throughout his career, Ron has been an active member of the CDC industry’s national trade association, the National Association of Development Companies (NADCO);

in 1998, he was elected to serve in SBA’s region 8, representing CDCs located in the six- state mid-west region prior to moving to Florida;
in 2006, he was elected to serve in SBA’s region 4, representing CDCs located in the seven-state southeastern region, and;
since 2003 he has served on the NADCO Sacramento Users Committee, which was established to work directly with SBA officials to improve the 504 program’s effectiveness.

In addition to serving on numerous chamber and economic development committees, Ron currently serves as a board member of the following organizations:

National Association of Development Companies (NADCO)
Bradenton Central Economic Development Center

Linda Anderson

Vice President
Portfolio Manager

Linda Anderson has worked for Gulfcoast Business Finance, Inc. since May 1992, when the company was operating as an economic development entity of the City of St. Petersburg. When the company transitioned into its current non-profit private operation in June 1995, Linda took on the administrative and bookkeeping functions of the company, as well as training in the loan servicing area. Her primary focus with GulfCoast is Portfolio Management, where she manages all day-to-day servicing of the loan portfolio, as well as customer care, loan service actions and assisting management in various administrative functions.

Linda has been in the lending and financial service industry since 1973, having worked in the secondary market division of two savings and loan associations for nine years, later creating a correspondent lending program and heading up a conventional loan trading team for a large California mortgage banking firm. Her interests include camping, reading, crafts and spending time with family and friends.

Jim Burnham

Vice President
Loan Operations

Jim is a “nearly native” Floridian having been a resident of Pinellas county since sometime back in the 20th century. He has spent much of his career managing the business operations of a large corporation and has developed a keen understanding of using financial data to determine the success and effectiveness of the business management. His background also includes program management, process control, quality control, and customer relations.

Jim joined GulfCoast Business Finance, Inc. in 2005 and is currently responsible for a dedicated group of people who package, underwrite, service, and close 504 and CRF loans. He is very proud of their contribution to the success of small businesses and the three thousand jobs that have been created by the customers in our loan portfolio.

He, and his department, are eager to provide your business with their assistance and will work hard to provide you with prompt, courteous service. Your borrowing experience with GulfCoast Business Finance, Inc. will be both rewarding, and beneficial to your business so give us a call.

Garrett VonEye

Loan Officer

Born and raised in Michigan, Garrett attended Oakland University and graduated in 2004 with a Bachelors degree in Finance. While in school, Garrett earned an internship with a certified development company in Michigan and shortly after graduation he was offered the position of Business Analyst with Oakland County Planning and Economic Development. The experience gave him the unique opportunity to participate in all aspects of the SBA lending process, from application to servicing. Garrett has taken a special interest in the SBA and has spent his career seeking every opportunity available to continue his SBA lending education. The list of professional courses taken with the national association of development companies includes: Introduction to SBA 504 Lending, 504 Credit Analysis, SBA Loan Closing and SBA Loan Packaging.

In his free time Garrett enjoys spending time with his wife, golfing, relaxing at the beach, reading, following the Detroit Tigers and enjoying time with friends and family.

Sandra Anderson

Loan Processor

Before accepting a Loan Processor position with GulfCoast Business Finance, Inc. at the beginning of 2008, Sandra Anderson spent over five years as a residential loan originator. In that position, she used her credit analysis skills and her knowledge of loan programs to help borrowers find the best financing options available to meet their specific needs. Prior to that, she worked in the field of information technology in both individual contributor and management roles. Areas of expertise include programming, technical writing, configuration management, quality management and process management.

Sandra has a BS in Business and Professional Management and a Masters of Business Administration from NOVA Southeastern University. Professional courses include National Association of Development Companies: Introduction to SBA 504 Loans; Credit Analysis (May 2008).

Hobbies and leisure activities include: amateur radio, spending time with friends, family, and Daisy (retriever mix), and reading a wide variety of books.

Beth Herdegen
Southeast Florida Region

Vice President
Commercial Real Estate & SBA Lending

Beth Herdegen has more than 20 years of SBA & Commercial Real Estate lending experience. Beth, a Miami Beach Florida native, began her SBA lending career in 1988. She has assisted hundreds of small businesses throughout the State of Florida and Nationwide by providing SBA 504, 7a and commercial loans for real estate acquisitions, including office condos, industrial warehouses, hotels, car washes and gas stations; business acquisitions, and working capital. In addition to SBA financing, she has provided commercial and conventional financing for owner occupied, multi-family, and investment properties, as well as USDA commercial loans, refinance and cash-out refi loans. Beth is also actively involved in many state, local and national commercial real estate and mortgage related organizations, including chairing the South Florida SBA Lenders Group (since 2004). Prior to joining Gulf Coast Business Finance, Beth spent eleven years as Vice President, Business Development Officer for two leading National SBA lenders.