Meet Joni Geis, Boat Loan Specialist

If you’re looking for a boat loan in California, whether it’s Orange County, the Newport Beach area or even north of San Francisco, Joni Geis is the person to see. For nearly 20 years, including the past 12 at Sterling Associates, Geis has been securing financing for boaters on the West Coast.

“There wasn’t a presence here prior to me and I’m still the person with an office here,” says Geis, who is based in San Diego. “This is my little niche.”

Geis is also one of the country’s only boat loan specialists with a personal web site, boatlenders.usa, where customers looking to purchase a boat can easily navigate through the process of securing financing.

“I want everybody to be successful, so being able to manage the process when things sometimes get sticky is really key,” Geis says. “There are a lot of moving pieces to what we do, and I want to make sure everybody looks like a hero at the end of the day.”

When putting together a loan, Geis believes that communication with the customer and understanding the needs of the boat dealer and broker are critical elements to a successful outcome. 

“I highly respect the broker and the dealer that sends me business,” she says. “I understand the financial situation they’re in and what’s on the line, so that motivates me to do everything to get the customer approved.

“For customers, you need to be on top of all the transactions that take place in a deal and be able to be professional in dealing with everybody. My communication skills are my strength, and I keep those sharpened.”

Geis is more than a loan specialist to her customers; she’s also a friend. A boat owner herself, she spends most of her free time on the water, where she regularly encounters past customers.

“I love boating and I love to be out on the water,” says Geis, who was born in Nebraska but moved to California at age 1. “I also live in an amazing city. San Diego is gorgeous. Being able to go out onto the water, see my customers and wave to them is wonderful. We all hang out together. My customers have become my family. I’m part of the community.”