Commercial Banking Group

Kurt Kappa is the Senior Vice President, Chief Lending Officer at First Federal Lakewood, the largest depositor-owned community bank headquartered in Ohio with assets of $2.3billion. In this role, Kurt oversees all commercial, consumer lending, treasury management and investment services lines of business.

Kurt prides himself on building relationships with and making introductions among mid-market business owners in Northeast Ohio. As a member of the bank’s executive team, he provides clients with direct access to the decision makers.
 
He previously was a Senior Vice President, Market Leader at Westfield Bank, responsible for leading all commercial sales efforts within the Medina, Cuyahoga and Lorain County regions. He began his financial services career as a Financial Advisor at UBS.
 
Kurt received a bachelor’s degree in finance from Bowling Green State University and a Master of Business Administration degree in entrepreneurship from Baldwin Wallace University. He is actively involved in a variety of civic and community leadership roles, including serving on the Business Development Council for Team NEO and serves as a Board of Director for the Medina County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) and Group Service, Inc. (GSI), an affiliation of the Greater Cleveland Partnership | COSE.

Scott Gnau joined the First Federal Lakewood team in 2019 and is the Commercial Lending Team Leader. He is committed to promoting business development and driving growth, while also focusing on securing new customer relationships and taking care of his current customers.

Scott has been dedicated to creating the best experience for his commercial customers by coming up with solutions to any financing needs customers may have, including serving as an advocate for them in their day-to-day operations of their business.

Scott is an involved member of his community and has served as a board member of the Medina County Young Professionals Association and the Wadsworth Young Professionals Association. He has also participated in the Civic Leadership Institute of Cleveland, Leadership Medina County, Leadership Cleveland’s Bridge Builders and OnBoard Cleveland. He received his bachelor’s degree in marketing and finance from Capital University and his master’s degree in management from the University of Akron.

Alix Kaufmann joined First Federal Lakewood in 2012 as an Assistant Branch Manager before becoming a Branch Manager, Sales Manager and then Regional Branch Manager. In 2018, she was promoted to Vice President, Treasury Management Officer where she will be working closely with local businesses to help them find solutions to better manage their finances while providing personalized service. With nearly a decade of financial services experience, she has an extensive background in both commercial and consumer financial products. Alix is a member of the Downtown Lakewood Business Alliance (DLBA), LakewoodAlive, the Near West Theatre and the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce, as well as a board member for the Kiwanis Club of Lakewood. In 2018, she was recognized by LakewoodAlive for her exemplary service to the organization and the Lakewood community. Alix also volunteers at many community events in Lakewood throughout the year, including the Taste of Lakewood, Light up Lakewood, Lakewood Summer Meltdown and more. Alix received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and previously worked as an Assistant Branch Manager at Bank of America.

Matthew (Matt) Lay is the Small Business Banking Leader with First Federal Lakewood. Matt is committed to making sure his business customers are well equipped with the financial knowledge they need to succeed. He is dedicated to helping businesses of all sizes reach their business goals, no matter what they are.

Matt joined First Federal Lakewood in 2014 as Commercial Banking Relationship Manager. In this role, he worked with businesses to help them select lending and depository solutions. Matt has been in the financial services industry for more than 16 years and is highly experienced with commercial real estate loans, business lines of credit, SBA options and a variety of treasury services, including electronic banking options. He received a bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University.

Mitch joined First Federal Lakewood in 2019 as a Commercial Lending Officer. His responsibility is to grow the commercial portfolio and help customers find solutions for their financial needs. Mitch was previously the Commercial Portfolio Manager at Westfield Bank, where he was responsible for managing the commercial portfolio for the Cleveland market of $100 million. He handled lines of credit renewals and tracking, as well as financial collection for the market. Mitch earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Kent State University and is a graduate of Cleveland Leadership Center’s On-Board Cleveland.

Dell Duncan joined First Federal Lakewood in 2020 as Vice President, Commercial Banking Relationship Manager, working to promote business development, develop new customer relationships and grow First Federal Lakewood’s commercial loan portfolio. Dell has more than 40 years of experience in the financial services industry, including an extensive background in commercial lending, treasury management services, governmental lending, loan operations, underwriting and more. His commercial banking experience includes positions as Senior Vice President, Commercial Lending Team Leader & Market President at Farmers Bank of Canfield; Executive Vice President Geauga Savings Bank; and, President, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Ohio Commerce Bank. Dell was one of the founding officers of Commerce Exchange Bank in 1986. Dell received a bachelors degree in management from Bucknell University. He has also completed numerous  banking and business programs, including Business of Banking School, School of Commercial Credit, and Bank Simulation Program. Dell is a founding director, former president and a member of the Beachwood Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee. He is on the board of the Chagrin Valley Chamber of Commerce, and is treasurer and a board member of the Cleveland Better Business Bureau.
 

Eric Jones joined the First Federal Lakewood team in 2022 and is VP, commercial lending. He specializes in commercial real estate lending with emphasis on healthcare-based commercial lending including healthcare practice acquisitions, real estate purchases, buy-in’s, buy-out’s and working capital lines of credit. In this role, Eric is dedicated to helping his clients achieve their business goals by finding the right products for their needs. He enjoys providing the right banking-related products and services for each client, no matter what industry they are in.

Previously, Eric was VP, healthcare business banker at PNC Bank. He has been recognized as a top performer in the industry multiple times.

Eric received a bachelor’s degree in family financial planning with a specialization in banking from The Ohio State University.

Kurt Lutz is Vice President, Commercial Banking at First Federal Lakewood, focusing on the Akron/Canton and Medina markets. Kurt has more than 30 years of experience in consumer, wholesale and commercial banking roles, with extensive experience in small and mid-sized business lending.  He believes that sharing information openly is critical to creating mutually beneficial long-term relationships and he will be responsible for working with commercial customers in Medina, Stark, and Summit county areas helping them reach their business and financial goals. Previously, Kurt was Vice President-Commercial Lending at Westfield Bank FSB, working with industries spanning manufacturing, health care and professional service providers as well as privately held companies. He has held several other positions in the financial services industry throughout his more than 30-year career. Kurt received a bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business. He is active in the community, serving on the board of directors for Goodwill Industries in Akron and Cascade Capital Corporation. He also served on the POWWOW corporate sponsorship committee for Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls for 10 years.
 

Michael Shadwick joined First Federal Lakewood as VP, commercial loan officer in 2023. Michael has over 16 years of experience in the banking industry. He works with a variety of business products, including commercial and investment real estate lending, healthcare lending, and more. He prides himself on taking the time to understand his customer’s story to recommend the best lending products and help them reach their financial goals.

Previously, Michael worked in business and commercial banking, including in the retail banking space as a branch manager. He served on multiple advisory boards for bank improvement and helped over 400 business owners gain funding and help during the pandemic. Michael received his bachelor’s degree in finance and supply chain management from Miami University. He is an avid golfer as well as an Ohio State football and Cincinnati Bengals fan. He is also a six-year contributor and fundraiser for Pelotonia, a two-day bike ride that raises funds for cancer research. He biked over 400 miles and raised over $20,000 for this organization.

Anthony Yannucci is a Commercial Real Estate Loan Officer with First Federal Lakewood. He is dedicated to achieving solutions for his clients’ financing opportunities. He has more than 30 years of financial services experience, helping arrange solutions for real estate developer/investor clients. He specializes in income-property types, including multi-family, retail, office and industrial/warehouse. He has served as a member of the board of trustees for the Historic Warehouse District Development Corp. and the finance committee of MidTown Cleveland, Incorporated. He previously held positions in commercial real estate at FirstMerit and Home Savings. Anthony holds a master’s degree in finance from Youngstown State University and a bachelor’s degree from Miami University.