Miami Network Coffee Connections: March 2026

Andrew La Fontaine is responsible for business development in Florida for Valuation Research Corporation (VRC). He regularly works with private equity firms and companies in a wide range of industries, assisting them with their financial reporting and tax valuation needs. He also works with hedge funds and credit funds, helping value their illiquid or hard-to-value assets. Outside of work, Andrew enjoys all things sports and is an avid golfer.   

Alex Echevarria is a Managing Director of Business Development at Pathward, a publicly traded bank on the NASDAQ under the ticker “CASH.” He specializes in equipment finance, asset‑based lending, structured finance, and USDA and SBA lending solutions for transactions ranging from $500,000 to $35 million. With more than 25 years of experience in equipment and commercial finance and a decade in capital markets, he brings deep expertise across multiple lending disciplines.

A Miami native, Alex began his career in the equipment leasing industry before moving into specialty finance. In 2001, he founded Allstate Capital and led it for 17 years until its acquisition by Crestmark Bank in 2017; Crestmark was later acquired by MetaBank, now Pathward. These transactions provided Alex with firsthand experience navigating the operational and strategic aspects of M&A within the banking and specialty‑finance sectors.

Alex’s background includes project financing, customized lending programs, and commercial loans and leases across diverse industries, with frequent involvement in acquisition financing, recapitalizations, and growth‑oriented capital structures for middle‑market companies.