Estephen Saliba is an Assistant Vice President and Commercial Banker for Wells Fargo, servicing the financial needs of public and private companies across New England. His team provides clients with a suite of products and services including debt financing, real estate financing (both owner-occupied and investor), and treasury management solutions. He graduated with a degree in Finance and Information Systems from The Carroll School of Management at Boston College. Estephen is an active member of the community, serving as the Young Leader’s Council Treasurer for The Sports Museum, a non-profit using the power of sports to provide educational programs to at-risk youth in the greater Boston area. Estephen was born and raised in Newport Beach, CA, and currently lives in Cambridge, MA with his wife.

1. What sparked your interest in ULI Boston’s Pathways to Inclusion Program?

I’m always looking for opportunities to become further involved in the local Boston community. I first heard of ULI Boston when one of my colleagues invited me to hear him present at a ULI event, Joining the Pathways program was a great way to get fully immersed in the community. ULI is a great organization to network with individuals from all different backgrounds across the commercial real estate ecosystem, and ULI’s programming has been instrumental to stay in tune with what’s happening locally in our communities. As a member of the Pathways cohort, I’m able to connect with leaders in Boston, deep dive into emerging CRE trends and join relevant councils. I appreciate the opportunity to learn from our experts and further my career through this structured program.

2. What attracted you to the field of commercial real estate?

My family is in the real estate business, so I’ve always been drawn to the field in some capacity. My group at Wells Fargo provides financing solutions for a variety of industries and applications, and we’ve seen success in providing Investor Real Estate financing solutions. As a large institution, we can follow sponsors across the country for their investment opportunities with my role being the local coverage banker for the client. For specialized CRE transactions, I partner with our specialists to come up with a tailored solution. I enjoy being able to see a variety of transactions and work across the industry, from multi-family to industrial. As I’m sure many understand, I learn something new with each deal!

3. What is a professional experience that has become a pivotal moment in your career?

My first transaction as I transitioned from a portfolio manager to a relationship manager was a pivotal moment for me as it was a complete mindset shift. While on the portfolio side, often numbers and statements can seem binary, and as I transitioned to a client-facing commercial banker I realized the importance of hearing a client’s story and managing their sensitivities to deliver an optimal outcome. It was an instrumental shift for me, and such a valuable lesson in how to deliver a complex solution to a client in a simplified way. I do my best work when I’m properly managing the expectations of both internal and external stakeholders, which was hard to grasp until you are getting the hands-on experience.

4. What is the last TV show you binge-watched?

Ted Lasso on Apple TV+, starring Jason Sudeikis. We had been told repeatedly to give it a try, and when we finally watched Episode 1, we were hooked. It’s the perfect feel-good show for getting out of the pandemic blues. If anyone gives it a go and is interested, I have officially perfected the recipe for Ted Lasso’s shortbread recipe.

5. How have you kept balance during COVID?

My wife and I did what seemingly everyone else did during the pandemic – we got a puppy (a mini–Australian Shepherd named Ollie) and a Peloton bike. Both have been amazing ways to stay active and balanced while we manage this work from home environment. We love to get out of the house to hike, ski, bike – basically anything that gets us moving. Thankful we are in New England as there are plenty of locations to explore the outdoors.