About Me

Hakim Kassam brings over 17 years of direct banking experience to the Community South Small Business Lending Division. He started his career in 1991 at Barnett Bank in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida where he learned about all aspects of retail and commercial banking. He began to concentrate on credit underwriting and small business banking and was soon ranked as one of the Top 20 small business lenders for Barnett within the State of Florida.

Hakim officially began his SBA lending career in 1997 and has since financed over $110,000,000 in SBA and conventional loans for small business owners and their companies. He has closed a variety of small business loans throughout Florida, as well as across the United States. He opened the loan production office for Community South in Coral Springs in 2003 and currently holds the position of Senior Vice President/US Eastern Region Sales Manager. In this role, Hakim supervises a staff of seventeen - including thirteen lending specialists that generate approximately $225,000,000 in small business loans on an annual basis.

Through his efforts, Hakim has established a strong presence for the Tennessee-based Bank in Florida and has created and strengthened the relationships with the SBA offices located in Miami and Jacksonville. Additionally, he aggressively markets the Bank's SBA 7a and 504 loan programs and other small business lending products to the local community through a variety of mailings and presentations. His commitment to working closely with his clients and referral partners has allowed Community South to rank as one of the largest SBA lenders in the South Florida market.

Hakim moved to South Florida in 1978 and attended the University of Miami where he received his Bachelors Degree in Computer Information Systems in 1989, and a Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance in 1991. On a personal note, Hakim is involved in the community as a member of the Society of Commercial Realtors, the University of Miami Hurricane Club, the Lambda Chi Alpha Alumni Association, and the Alpha Kappa Psi Alumni Association.

He is an avid golfer, plays tennis and racquetball, and is ranked nationally in table tennis. Hakim is married with beautiful twin daughters.