Client Testimonials | Commercial Lending

Do you smile during your loan closings? If not, you might not be working with Leslie Biskner, CCIM and Cooperative Business Services (CBS).

I met Leslie at a CCIM class years ago, and we have been friends and colleagues since. Leslie is a standout in the lending world and a master at connecting people. Over the years, she has introduced me to countless brokers, which has significantly helped me grow my business. It was great to finally work with her on my loan, rather than one of my clients.

CBS represents the essence of cooperation among cooperatives. Smaller credit unions such as Piedmont Advantage would be extremely limited in what we could do to meet commercial lending needs if it were not for the CBS model bringing us together with other credit unions. The CBS team is talented, knowledgeable, professional, and responsive. Our experience has been great!

I am the owner/manager of The Shoppes at RiverPlace, a 105,000 SF neighborhood shopping center located in Perrysburg, Ohio, anchored by Walt Churchill’s Market and having 27 other tenants. Just this month we refinanced the center with CBS, working through John Skeldon. John did an excellent job of communicating what they could and could not do while expeditiously moving the process from initial discussions to closing. We are extremely happy with the attitude, hard work and perhaps most importantly the logical and cooperative attitude of John and the entire CBS organization, including their legal counsel. Every challenge was resolved harmoniously and in short order. The terms, rates and conditions of the loan were superior to the competitors and will help to maintain RiverPlace as Northwest Ohio’s premiere grocery anchored neighborhood shopping center. Perhaps the greatest compliment to John and CBS lies in the fact that a number of other competing lenders said the deal would never close – IT DID.

Sun Federal launched business services in 2008 to provide financial services to our sponsor groups and member businesses as a way to serve business owners, their businesses and, ultimately, their employees and family members. Our commitment was to offer quality, right-priced lending products in a timely-manner to our business members. Partnering with Cooperative Business Services (CBS) as a subscriber nearly six years ago has helped us deliver on that commitment. CBS offers professional underwriting, closing, servicing and sound business consultation in a very cost effective manner. The pricing model introduced in 2013 further enhanced this cost effectiveness by rewarding active originating and participating programs. Sun Federal has benefitted from its active participation in the Northwest Ohio Shared Business Development Officer Program that formed in 2009. We support shared BDO, John Skeldon; participating in loans he originates, serving as lead credit union on several loan relationships, and inviting his expertise on our more complicated originations. Our business lending program has experienced tremendous growth thanks to our strategic partnership with CBS. At the end of 2013, Sun Federal held 63 participations totaling nearly seven million dollars. A successful partnership works both ways and Sun Federal has been committed to helping CBS gain exposure in SE Pennsylvania where we have multiple locations, NJ and on a national scale through the CUNA Lending Council. In a movement in which relationships matter most, we continue to be pleased with our choice of partnering with CBS. We look forward to continued success together with the CBS team.

CBS is one of our best and most important partnerships, but that is largely dependent on the commercial loan originator you have working your program. Louis Cipriani is very productive and does an excellent job for Summit CU. A true professional and very knowledgeable.

Our eCommerce business was growing fast, too fast for our old space. Thankfully, our broker introduced us to Leslie Biskner at CBS. Leslie and her rockstar team, including Paige Rogney and Dawn Orlowski, were superb. They guided us through the complexities of commercial real estate with patience and expertise. Even before we found our new warehouse, Leslie was there to answer every question. As interest rates rose, she fought to get us the best deal. Thanks to CBS, our first foray into commercial real estate was made navigable. We're thankful for their help and will recommend them to anyone.

I have had the pleasure to work with CBS since 2009. During the past 12 years, CBS and I have partnered to originate hundreds of millions of dollars of commercial real estate loans to very solid borrowers that have performed in an excellent fashion. This relationship has resulted in millions of dollars in interest income for Pathways, and I would highly recommend that any credit union considering a commercial real estate lending program explore a partnership with Cooperative Business Services.

As a commercially-focused title agency, Omni Title works with multiple lenders every day, and Leslie and her team continue to impress us with their thoroughness, responsiveness, and reasonableness. With Leslie and her team at CBS, our title agency and the borrower always know where things stand with a transaction and what needs to be done to move it forward. CBS is a pleasure to work with on commercial real estate transactions all throughout Ohio.

Working with CBS has been a pleasure for our credit union. We love the knowledge, infrastructure, and diversity they are able to bring to our loan portfolio. I would highly recommend CBS.

There are about 6500 languages worldwide and I would like to say thanks to you in all of them! We closed the loan today -- even though it was not a big amount of money, your tenacity to get this done amazed me. You are the most competent business developer / solutions expert I have ever come across and I hope your company values what you do.

I have worked with John Skeldon and Joe Bajas, and Cooperative Business Services since they first opened operations in Northwest Ohio, and I can say with certainty that they are true professionals. I have witnessed them close on a variety of commercial properties, and they have gotten these loans approved and closed in a very timely manner. They make closing commercial loans look easy! John and Joe are a true pleasure to work with.

LeylandAlliance is a developer of mixed-use projects in New York, Connecticut, Virginia and the Carolinas. Working with Louis Cipriani and his team at CBS, we recently refinanced our Twin Lakes Center project in Cary, NC. Louis is a true professional who understands and appreciates the owner-operator’s point of view. He has been incredibly responsive throughout the loan process, and has been a true problem-solver, often anticipating issues for us and resolving them proactively to our benefit. We closed our loan with CBS in a timely manner, on the excellent terms promised, meeting and even exceeding our expectations.

My partners and I couldn’t have been more satisfied with the experience we had in working with Leslie Biskner and her team at Cooperative Business Services.

I began my relationship with Wright-Patt Credit Union, Inc. (WPCU), while looking at benefits of a credit union for my employees. After meeting with WPCU, I became aware of the benefits they could offer my corporation. I did not realize that a credit union did commercial banking. That is when WPCU introduced me to Cooperative Business Services (CBS). Together, they put together an extremely competitive financing package in a timely and professional manner. Their personnel are very helpful and the day to day business that we have with them as a member of their Select Employer Group makes banking very quick and easy. We are glad to have WPCU and CBS as part of our family.

IHCU has been a proud partner with CBS CUSO since 2015. During that time, we have been very impressed with the phenomenal professionalism we have received from each and every CBS CUSO employee. They are always prompt, efficient, knowledgeable and collaborative. Always looking for the best way forward for both the borrower and the credit union. We have benefited greatly by being a proud partner with CBS CUSO and look forward to many more years of working collaboratively with them.

Time was of the essence for this deal. This newly constructed state-of-the-art nursing college was complete and students were arriving daily. Hondros College turned to Cooperative Business Services to permanently finance this building once construction was complete and the building was occupied. With KEMBA Financial Credit Union as our lead credit union, we were able to seal the deal in record time.

Relationships still matter, CBS and KEMBA provided timely and professional service that was second to none.

A refreshing change. We look forward to a dynamic long term relationship with both CBS and KEMBA Financial Credit Union.

In today’s business world, all vendors claim that they will be your credit union’s business partner and that your success is their main goal. All too often, these claims last only until the ink dries on the contract. That is why it is so refreshing to find a business partner like CBS who commits to a true long term relationship with their credit union partners. Keith and his team continually strive to ensure that credit unions truly feel valued as a member of CBS and that the success and satisfaction of the credit union is as important as the success of the CUSO. Collaboration is not just a word to CBS, but a business philosophy.

I am writing to express my satisfaction with Joe Bajas and the CBS team. When I presented Joe with a mult-property purchase, I knew there was going to be challenges but Joe and his team were able to put together the information and bring the deal to closing under a tight timeline. I am very satisfied with the professionalism and hard work put forth. I highly recommend Joe and CBS!

Glass City Federal has been doing business with CBS for many years, and it’s been the best partnership we’ve ever had. CBS is truly an extension of our credit union that enables us to offer small business loans to our membership. Keith and his team are highly professional and qualified, and are always on the front edge of technology, providing us with the tools that we need to be successful. From sales to underwriting to servicing, they’re simply the best. Because of our relationship with CBS, we now have a high quality, high producing book of business loans that compliments the rest of our loan portfolio.

I've had the pleasure of working with CBS, Leslie Biskner, and staff for a refinance of my commercial loan. Compared to every loan I've obtained in 30 years this process was much more organized, efficient and instructive every step along the way. Leslie and her team were very responsive, professional and more importantly, nice and friendly. Even though refinancing can be frustrating given the details, they made it painless. Thank you so much for your kind services. I would recommend them to my colleagues without hesitation!

Leslie and her team were incredibly responsive and a pleasure to work with. I have closed enough commercial loans in my day to recognize top notch service and attention. With the team at CBS there was never a doubt that I was getting both. We are looking forward to working with CBS on our next transaction.

Our members and the communities we serve have benefited greatly from our partnership with Cooperative Business Services. Their expertise has helped us do more for them, more quickly, than we could possibly have done by going it alone. Especially valuable has been our participation in a Shared Business Development model in partnership with other area credit unions. By combining our resources in this way, we've been able to make businesses (and the competition) take notice of what we can do.

Day Air Credit Union's partnership with Cooperative Business Services has enabled us to provide higher levels of funding throughout our region greatly benefiting our members and the communities they live in. CBS truly understand the intricacies of lending in our market and has helped us push the needle as a premier business lender. It's clear that success of each CBS credit union partner is a genuine priority of the CUSO via their dedication and eagerness to help us achieve our strategic initiatives.

In addition to being extremely knowledgeable in today’s commercial real estate industry, his client service is exceptional. Michael is responsive, and works diligently to deliver timely results. Overall, Michael is a delight to work with and I couldn’t be happier with his services.

Leslie and her team were consummate professionals, providing exemplary service throughout the entire process. CBS provided me peace of mind, as I knew my client was going to be well taken care of and not rushed through the process. Leslie’s team was extremely responsive and communicated regularly throughout the process. I look forward to working with CBS on future transactions.

CBS was a pleasure to work with from start to finish. They walked the novice real estate client through the process from start to finish and were able to complete the transaction ahead of schedule. We have done deals with many lenders throughout the country and every transaction is different. This lender gets two big thumbs up, and I am sure we will be forwarding more business over in the near future! …Thanks to everyone for your hard work on getting this one closed ahead of schedule. I look forward to working with you all again soon!

The support at CBS, specifically from Leslie Biskner, Paige Rogney, and Sharlie Lee was amazing! As a woman-owned small business looking to finance a permanent location for my logistics company in Central Ohio, I was overwhelmed by where to start the financing process. CBS was recommended by my realtor over a year and a half ago. The search for a warehouse was a long and sometimes discouraging process, but the ladies at CBS were in my corner the entire time! They made working with the Small Business Development Center and the SBA a breeze, and I'm so grateful I had their expertise and support to guide me through the lending process. Leslie took the time to visit properties with me and get to know and understand what I needed as a small business owner. I highly recommend Leslie and her team to anyone, big or small, looking for financing. I'm extremely happy to have a permanent home for my company, and down the road, if I need to expand, CBS will be my first call. It was a pleasure to work with CBS!

Partnering with CBS has enabled Call Federal Credit Union to participate in a variety of solid commercial loans in our region varying in size and scope. Giving us the opportunity to put our funds to work within our communities and local economy. In a highly competitive and costly market, their model has allowed us to share in the resources with other partner credit unions in our region, for mutually beneficial services. Their team is a delight to work with, extremely knowledgeable, and collaborative. They listen and they deliver.

Her Midwest work ethic, positive personality and enthusiasm make you want to be around her. I have closed dozens of commercial real estate loans in the past several years and Leslie is a great listener and followed up better than any lender I have ever worked with. Since we closed our loan, Leslie has been a great addition to the Brexton network providing lending opportunities and advice to other business owners we are working with. She really made the process very smooth for us and communicated every step of the way. I am happy to have met Leslie and been introduced to the Members First Credit Union and Cooperative Business Services network for growing our businesses together.

CBS, specifically Leslie Biskner and team, were an absolute lifesaver to the expansion needs of Because I Said I Would. After six months of calls and searching for a loan provider to match the unique purpose of the property purchase for the charity, we had all but given up hope in finding a lender that understands not just the asset but also the charity......and then we met Leslie! After our first call, I knew that she and the CBS team we true partners to us, not only helping up more clearly put together the ask but also explaining lending options to us. From term sheet to close, they were constantly checking in, clarifying asks, and staying absolutely true and honest to the term sheet agreed upon. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Leslie and the CBS team for helping Because I Said I Would achieve the important dream of a new headquarters and active service property!

Leslie Biskner at CBS was wonderful to work with. This was our first time working with CBS and it will not be our last. Leslie and her staff answered our numerous questions and were very accommodating in helping us understand the process and were always willing to come to us. This is big plus for us, it is hard for us to get out of the office during the day. Her knowledge of the business is outstanding, you will not be sorry in calling her.

While your company did offer the best financial package, we may have chosen you just because of the level of service that was provided. Having the loan completed in a low stress, helpful manner makes me a strong supporter of CBS and of course John Skeldon. I will be more than happy to talk to anyone trying to decide about a lender since I would like others to have as good of an experience as I did, and a chance to achieve their dreams.

575 Copeland Mill, LLC is a 60,000 square foot medical office building located in Westerville, Ohio. I have owned the building for 11 years and was in need of a mortgage lender after my current lender exited the business. I was introduced to CBS, and Leslie Biskner through my property management company, Colliers International. I was impressed with the entire process as Leslie and her team worked diligently to meet my needs as well as theirs, in a timely fashion. I would strongly recommend CBS and Leslie Biskner to anyone in need of a true lending partner.