As Illinois' middle-market companies continue to outpace the national average in revenue and employment growth, Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is investing in a new suburban Middle Market Commercial Banking office in Highland Park, Ill. An extension of its Chicago hub, the office joins a recently opened Naperville, Ill., location, advancing Wells Fargo’s community-based approach to serving privately held middle-market companies with revenues of $25 million and above.

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Matt Gable, senior relationship manager for Wells Fargo's Highland Park, Ill. office (Photo: Busines ...

Matt Gable, senior relationship manager for Wells Fargo's Highland Park, Ill. office (Photo: Business Wire)

Eight-year company veteran Brian Ruger has been appointed head of the Highland Park office, bringing local credit decision making and a full suite of products and services — including Treasury Management, asset-based lending, traditional secured loans, and capital markets services — closer to suburban customers. He reports to Doug Banzuly, senior vice president and region head for Wells Fargo Middle Market Commercial Banking in Chicago.

“Illinois is an important market to Wells Fargo, and we have a tremendous opportunity to grow our business by investing in locations that bring us even closer to our customers,” said Banzuly. “I’m confident our team members and customers will benefit from Brian’s leadership and expertise.” Ruger recently added Senior Relationship Manager Matt Gable to his Highland Park team.

Currently, Wells Fargo has six offices serving mid-sized companies in the Chicagoland area, including a Naperville office that opened in 2014. The new Middle Market Commercial Banking office in Highland Park is located at 1849 Green Bay Road in the center of downtown Highland Park. More offices are planned over the next few years to connect with customers located in the suburbs, and to offer more flexible work locations for Wells Fargo bankers, said Lisa N. Johnson, Midwest division manager for Wells Fargo Middle Market Commercial Banking.

“Wells Fargo’s growth and unwavering focus on customers drive our expansion strategy, bringing us closer to our customers,” Johnson said. “It’s a natural next step in supporting our existing clients while identifying strong bankers, like Brian and Matt, to build new relationships.”

Ruger served since 2008 as vice president and relationship manager for the Wells Fargo Regional Commercial Banking Office in Chicago. He continues to focus on originating and managing middle-market client relationships by providing commercial loans, treasury management, and deposit products to companies in northern Illinois, including Highland Park. Before joining Wells Fargo, Ruger started his commercial banking career at LaSalle Bank in 2005. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from The University of Iowa. Ruger volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago and was previously a long-time volunteer at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

Gable brings more than 15 years middle-market banking experience to his new role, the past seven years at BMO Harris. Gable earned a dual bachelor’s degree in finance and business from Miami University. He resides with his family in Wilmette.

About Wells Fargo Middle Market Commercial Banking

Wells Fargo is No. 1 in total middle market banking share in the U.S. and has the most lead banking relationships with middle market companies with $25 million to $500 million in annual sales.* With 140-plus offices in 38 states and four Canadian provinces, Wells Fargo Middle Market Commercial Banking provides local service and decision-making for businesses with $20 million and higher in annual sales. Asset-based lending, traditional secured loans, and capital markets provide access to working capital for day-to-day operations and growth. Expertise and services are available to specialty industries, including food and agribusiness, healthcare, government, higher education, clean technology, and environmental services. Watch stories about successful middle market companies at http://wholesalebanking.wf.com/cmbg-success-stories.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.8 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through 8,800 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 269,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 27 on Fortune’s 2016 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at Wells Fargo Blogs and Wells Fargo Stories.