November 14, 2024 | Raistone

Meet the Team: Pete Kienlen, Sales Director 

As Sales Director, Pete originates new financing opportunities and presents clients with tailored financing solutions that Raistone can offer.

Pete handles a wide variety of responsibilities across the sales process, including originating new deals and managing relationships with existing clients, as well as identifying good fit industries and initiating outreach with prospective clients.  

He began his professional career working at Expeditors International (NYSE: EXPD), a global logistics company, where he first handled customs entries and managed import operations. He later transitioned to a sales role at the same company, where he gained experience helping clients streamline their supply chains through innovative logistics solutions designed to compress inventory holding times and improve working capital.  

Pete worked at American Express for 11 years prior to joining Raistone, gaining a deep understanding of the finance space with a continued focus on working capital management strategies.  In various roles at American Express, he developed unique commercial payment programs that delivered over $3B in network volume across small, medium and large enterprises and a variety of different industries.     

One of the things that drew Pete to Raistone most was its focus supplier initiated working capital solutions. “This was a big change from my experience at American Express, where the buyer typically initiated the payment and realized the most benefits,” he explained.

He particularly enjoys the startup environment that Raistone provides. “The team is always able to act quickly and be flexible with our clients and investors. We can achieve things in just one day that would take weeks or even months at larger companies,” Pete said.  

Pete views Raistone’s native integrations as a significant differentiator between Raistone and its competitors. “We’re integrated into a lot of key platforms through an embedded finance model, and I definitely believe that’s a huge advantage we have in the market,” he explained.  

He also shared how the Raistone network of institutional investors who help fund the transactions allow for greater flexibility than traditional channels. Raistone makes it easy for new and existing clients to take advantage of these innovative working capital solutions.

“My favorite part about the job is working through the deal, understanding what the needs are, and looking at how we can create the most value for all parties involved,” Pete shared. “These are not one-size-fits-all solutions, we tailor our approach and financial solutions based on what our clients’ businesses need from their working capital.” 

As the holiday season and new year approach, many companies gear up by increasing production, staffing, equipment and inventory to meet the demands of their clients during this busy season. It’s important that these businesses have the cash flow they need to be able to meet these seasonal demands and support their customers.  

“Because Raistone’s solutions are on-demand and supplier-initiated, we can support our clients and their working capital demands as needed, a huge benefit for seasonal customers,” he shared. “Sustainable working capital strategies also allow for businesses to reinvest in their business heading into 2025, including purchasing new technologies, hiring new staff, and investing in new projects. Having Raistone as a partner through all that allows our customers to focus on growth.”

Outside of work, Pete enjoys entertaining friends and family, live music, golf, hockey and an occasional ski trip. Pete and his family are also big Chicago fans and continue rooting for the Bears and Blackhawks.  

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