Chief Executive and President, American Business Bank

Blankstein worked for 14 years at 1st Business Bank until its purchase
in 1997 by Mellon Financial Corp., at which time he and four other
senior officers left to form the downtown-based American Business
Bank. Initially raising around $14 million to capitalize on the new venture
at the time of its founding, the bank has since become one of the
state’s most active lenders, particularly during the pandemic through
the state’s Small Business Loan Guarantee programs. Blankstein first
joined 1st Business Bank as a corporate banking officer and eventually
worked his way up to vice president.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 5