# Christopher Hurn

Christopher (Chris) Hurn is an American entrepreneur, writer, and business executive known for his contributions to small business lending $^1$ and commercial finance. He is the President and a board member of Community Bankshares Inc. $^2$, owner of Community Bank & Trust of West Georgia. He is also the Co-Founder/President/CEO of Phoenix Lender Services $^3$, a company focused on commercial loan underwriting, closing, servicing, liquidation, and portfolio management solutions for government guaranteed lenders. Previously, he was the Founder and CEO of Fountainhead SBF and Fountainhead Commercial Capital (collectively known as “Fountainhead”), both Small Business Administration (SBA) non-bank lenders specializing in SBA 7(a) and also SBA 504 loans. Fountainhead $^4$ was a four-time Inc. 500/5000 America’s Fastest Growing Companies honoree. Before his role at Fountainhead, he was the Co-Founder and CEO at Mercantile Capital Corporation, which was a three-time Inc. 500/5000 America’s Fastest Growing Companies honoree.
Hurn is the author of an Amazon best-selling book, The Entrepreneur’s Secret to Creating Wealth: How the Smartest Business Owners Build Their Fortunes (2012) $^5$, which provides financial strategies for small business owners. He is also a frequent media commentator and has contributed to Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes $^{25}$, Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur, HuffPost $^6$, and Coleman Report, among many others. He has appeared on Fox Business $^7$, CNN $^8$, and CNBC $^9$, discussing topics related to small business lending and economic policy.

## Education

Hurn graduated magna cum laude from Loyola University Chicago, earning degrees in both Political Science and Applied Psychology. He later attended the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Center of Government at the Wharton School, where he earned a Master’s in Government Administration (M.G.A.).

## Career

Chris Hurn began his career in small business lending with GE Capital and Heller Financial, where he gained extensive experience in the lending industry. His expertise led him to co-found Mercantile Capital Corporation in 2002 $^{10}$, a company that specialized in providing SBA 504 loans to small businesses for their commercial real estate and/or heavy equipment financing needs. Under his leadership, the company grew quickly and expanded its reach beyond Florida, where it initially operated, to offer SBA-backed financing to businesses across the United States. Mercantile Capital was recognized for its rapid growth and was named to the Inc. 500 list in 2007 at #245. It also appeared on the Inc. 5000 list in 2008 at #1683 and 2009 at #3776 $^{11}$. In 2010, Mercantile Capital Corporation was sold to Old Florida National Bank, which was later acquired by IBERIABANK. Hurn continued to serve as CEO until he exited the company in late 2014 $^{12}$.
In 2015, Hurn founded Fountainhead Commercial Capital (and later, Fountainhead SBF), an SBA-approved non-bank, national lender specializing in SBA 7(a) loans, SBA 504 loans and low loan-to-value (LTV) conventional loans $^{13}$. Fountainhead provided both SBA 504 first mortgages and interim second mortgages for businesses in need of financing for acquisitions, construction, and renovations $^{14}$. Hurn’s leadership helped position Fountainhead as a key player in the SBA lending space, and the company’s contributions were recognized when it was named one of Florida's "2018 Companies to Watch” $^{15}$. As of 2023, Fountainhead had closed nearly 300,000 SBA loans, both traditional and PPP loans $^{16}$. Since 2002, Hurn and his team have financed $12 billion in SBA 504 loans.
In 2024, Hurn took on a new role as President of Community Bankshares Inc. Under his leadership, CBI’s subsidiary, Community Bank & Trust, was named the #1 USDA Business & Industry (B&I) lender in the U.S. for FY 2024 $^{17}$. He cofounded and is also the president and CEO of Phoenix Lender Services, which specializes in loan servicing, liquidation, and portfolio management solutions for commercial lenders. Furthermore, he is a co-owner and Chief Executive Partner at Lendesca, a fintech company focused on providing innovative financing solutions to self-employed individuals, entrepreneurs, and small business owners.
Throughout his career, Hurn has made numerous media appearances and provided expert commentary on topics related to small business lending, entrepreneurship, and finance. His insights have been featured on major outlets such as Fox Business $^7$, Wall Street Journal $^{18}$, Inc. $^{19}$, Forbes $^{20}$, Fast Company $^{21}$, among many others.
Hurn's leadership and contributions to his industry have earned him numerous accolades, including recognition as one of the Top Twenty Most Influential People in Small Business Lending, Orlando Business Journal’s CEO of the Year $^{22}$ (twice), SBA Marketing Guru of the Year, and Top 100 Small Business Influence Champion. In addition, he was named among American City Business Journals' most influential leaders in commercial real estate and recognized as one of the Top Small Business Influencers by Fit Small Business $^{23}$.

## Thought Leadership and Policy Advocacy

Hurn has been an influential advocate for modernizing the SBA. He has testified before the United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship $^{24}$ and has provided written testimony to the U.S. House Small Business Committee. His published memos and op-eds outline reforms to improve SBA efficiency, transparency, and accessibility for small business owners.

## Honors & Awards
### 2023

* Inc. 500/5000 Regionals 2023 Southeast, Ranked #25

### 2022

* Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Business in America, Ranked #271 with a 2,006% 3-Year Growth and named the 5th fastest growing firm in metro Orlando
* Ranked #13 “Best Companies To Work For” In Florida in the Small Companies Category from Florida Trend Magazine
* EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist for Florida
* Inc. Regionals Winner, Ranked #32 in Southeast Region
* Inaugural “Inno Fire Award” Winner by the Orlando Business Journal (OBJ)
* Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Orlando SMART Awards Winner for Middle Market Companies

### 2021

* Orlando Business Journal (OBJ) CEO of the Year
* Top 100 list of Most Active SBA lenders in the country
* Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Business in America, Ranked No. 1221 With a 3-Year Revenue Growth of 406.57%

### 2020

* Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Business in America Ranked and named #11th fastest firm in Greater Orlando
* Top 100 list of Most Active SBA lenders in the country
* Named “Best Places to Work” in Orlando by the Orlando Business Journal

### 2019

* Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Business in America, Ranked and named #9th fastest firm in Greater Orlando
* Orlando Business Journal (OBJ) CEO of the Year
* Top 100 list of Most Active SBA lenders in the country
* SBA Marketing Guru of the Year by the Coleman Report
* Best SBA Lender by Lendver

### Past

* 2018 GrowFL “Florida Companies to Watch” Award Winner
* 2018 Top Most Influential Leaders in Commercial Real Estate by American Business Journals
* 2018 “Top Small Business Influencers” by Fit Small Business
* 2017 Coleman Report's SBA 504 Lender of the Year
* Named 2013, 2010, and 2006 District and Regional “Financial Services Champion” by SBA
* Named “Banker of the Year” by the National Association of Development Companies (NADCO) in 2006

## Other Ventures and Investments

Hurn has been involved in various business ventures, including founding Kennedy’s All-American Barber Club, an upscale barbershop franchise. He is also an angel investor, with holdings in sports franchises (Ipswich Town FC and Rhode Island FC), high-tech startups (including Lendesca, Figure.AI, SandboxAQ, OXOS, and OpenEye Analytics), healthy food and beverage startups (Barcode and Toto Cookies), and various commercial real estate ventures.

## Personal Life

Hurn resides in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Winter Park, Florida, with his wife and has two grown children. He is a long-time Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) member and a volunteer Guardian for Honor Flight Central, a non-profit all-volunteer organization accompanying Veterans to Washington, D.C., to see the memorials a grateful nation has built in their honor.