OREANDA-NEWS. June 28, 2016. BMO Harris Bank today announced the launch of its new commercial banking office in Dallas. The office provides BMO Harris customers in Texas with expanded and dedicated resources, with an initial focus on Diversified Industries, Asset-Based Lending and Commercial Real Estate.

"The strong demographic and economic indicators, combined with our recent BMO Transportation Finance acquisition, made this a natural next step in the growth of our commercial business," said Ray Whitacre, Head, Diversified Industries, BMO Harris Bank. "We'll be primarily focused on the Dallas-Fort Worth area at first; however, as we grow our operations, the office will be our beachhead for serving customers throughout Texas and the surrounding area."

"We have a long history in Texas - our BMO office in Houston has been serving the energy sector for more than fifty years, and we've had Texas-based commercial customers for generations," said Dan Marszalek, Head, Corporate Finance, BMO Harris Bank. "We're very pleased that we can now offer our customers, and prospective customers, a wide array of industry expertise provided by local BMO bankers based in the market."

The new office will be led by Brian Enzler, Market Executive, Dallas, Diversified Industries, BMO Harris Bank. A native of Dallas and graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas, Mr. Enzler has spent his entire career focused on commercial banking in Texas. In his most recent role, he led one of the largest middle market commercial banking teams in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Mr. Enzler will be joined by Ryan Fuelling, Vice President, Diversified Industries, Texas. Mr. Fuelling will take a leadership role in the growth initiative, primarily working with privately held and publicly traded companies with revenue over \\\$50 million.

The new office will also include a Commercial Real Estate team. Jim Johnson has joined the bank as Director, Commercial Real Estate, BMO Harris Bank. A graduate of Texas Christian University, Mr. Johnson brings over 30 years of experience to the role, having led multiple real estate teams in Texas. Mr. Johnson will be joined by Lawrence Todd, who will be focused on business development.

Finally, BMO has added Mike Ehlert, who has taken on the role of Managing Director, Asset-Based Lending, BMO Harris Bank. Mr. Ehlert will be responsible for managing BMO Harris Bank's Asset-Based Lending business throughout Texas and the surrounding region. Mr. Ehlert has over 35 years of financial services experience, with a specific focus on Asset-Based Lending since 1994. He has an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and a BBA/Accounting from Midwestern State University.

"We have ambitious growth plans for the office," added Mr. Whitacre. "We expect to double the size of the office over the next two to three years, bringing our customers local market knowledge and expertise, backed by the breadth and depth of BMO Financial Group."

About BMO Harris Bank

BMO Harris Bank provides a broad range of personal banking products and solutions through more than 600 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Arizona and Florida. BMO Harris Bank's commercial banking team provides a combination of sector expertise, local knowledge and mid-market focus throughout the U.S. For more information about BMO Harris Bank, go to the company fact sheet. Banking products and services are provided by BMO Harris Bank N.A. and are subject to bank or credit approval. BMO Harris Bank® is a trade name used by BMO Harris Bank N.A. Member FDIC. BMO Harris Bank is part of BMO Financial Group, a North American financial organization with approximately 1,600 branches, and CDN \\\$681 billion in assets (as of April 30, 2016).