Title: Senior Vice President, Competitive & Negotiated Underwriting
Firm: TRB Capital Markets
Age: 30
When faced with a challenge, Kristopher Vasquez prefers to meet it head-on, take calculated risks, and own the outcome.
That mindset has fueled his success leading TRB Capital Markets' competitive underwriting. With more than $350 million in competitive bids so far this year, Kris has helped position TRB among the nation's top 25 competitive senior managers.
What motivates him most isn't the rankings but seeing the tangible impact each financing has on the communities it serves, regardless of the transaction's size.
For example, while modest compared with many of the financings he underwrites, Kris is especially proud of helping finance a community center and Epic Waters waterpark in Grand Prairie, Texas, just south of Dallas, where his parents live. "It was amazing to be in the room with community leaders in a town that means so much to my family," he says.
Beyond underwriting, Kris has developed several of the team's core analytical tools, including a proprietary risk model and an interactive pricing model.
Although Kris enjoyed several public finance internships, he chose to begin his career in private equity after graduation. The experience sharpened his financial and analytical skills, but he missed the purpose-driven nature of public finance. When the opportunity to join TRB Capital Markets arose, he didn't hesitate.
Kris believes successful underwriting depends as much on communication as it does on analytics. He sees his role as a translator — bringing together issuers, advisors, investors, and internal teams to ensure everyone understands the transaction and is working toward the same objective.
Kris has set an ambitious goal: helping move TRB into the nation's top 10 competitive senior managers. He knows it won't happen overnight, but he's ready to meet the challenge head-on, take calculated risks, and own the outcome.
