SitusAMC Power Pro: Leo Puentes

Leo Puentes, Warehouse Lending Professional

Office: Fully remote, based in Los Angeles

Day-to-Day: Working on a team of five to create a total solution for warehouse lending.

Our team provides the resources for any institution that wants to open a warehouse lending business, but doesn’t want to immediately invest in all the required resources. It’s a very time-consuming and research-consuming business that requires a lot of manpower, so our team cuts down on those barriers to entry.

On Looking for a Challenge: I was working at a small bank, running its warehouse lending department. I was doing the same thing every day and was looking for a change. I went back to get my MBA at Pepperdine University, and a SitusAMC recruiter reached out to me before I graduated. They offered me a job and I was very excited to accept it! After working here for the past few months, I’d highly recommend it. Everybody wants to do their jobs well and the company recognizes that we’re people first, employees second. It’s great to have a healthy work-life balance.

Everyday Inspiration: Hardworking teammates.

Seeing how hard my colleagues work and how much effort they put into the jobs inspires me to always strive for more. I make sure I’m contributing as much as possible and help my teammates by being a strong communicator and collaborator.

Required Traits: Problem-solving skills, flexibility, a client-first mentality, self-discipline and genuine care for the customer.

Most Exciting Part of the Job: There are so many aspects of the job that I didn’t know about before I started, so I’m learning something every day. Also, the amount of responsibility is really exciting and is a great opportunity to grow my career.

Greatest Strength: A listening ear.

In many situations, people try to speed through understanding a problem so they can figure out a solution, when they should really be more focused on listening. Some of my greatest strengths are my listening and problem-solving skills. I try to really hear someone and then provide either advice or a solution, both on the job and off.

On Being Brave: I grew up in L.A. and went to college only about an hour away, so I’ve never been far from home. I have three younger brothers and my family’s really tight knit. When I moved to Spain for four months in college, it was the longest time I had been away from them. It had never been done before in my family, but I wanted to travel. Studying abroad was one of the best times of my life; I always recommend it to people.

Outside of Work: Because I work East Coast hours but live on the West Coast, I finish my workday around 4 p.m. and then have the rest of the afternoon and evening to hang with my fiancé, family and my huskie Aqua. I enjoy hiking and playing sports, and I’m really into anime, comic books and reading. Every time I go to a new place, I buy a book – it’s kind of a collection at this point.

Click to learn more about SitusAMC's Warehouse Financing Solutions offering: Warehouse Financing Solutions