About Us
Our 12 month, virtual apprenticeship program is creating the next generation of SBA talent.
Shatterbox is bringing the apprenticeship into the 21st century.
What That Means
Apprenticeship = learning while doing. Shatterbox apprentices are immersed in the workplace all while developing critical skills to thrive in their role.
Lowering the Barrier to Entry
We are identifying and training fresh, diverse talent to solve current and future industry needs and accelerating their growth with world-class learning tools.
What Shatterbox Provides
We find natural leaders and train them to be best-in-class lenders. Every Shattterbox apprentice has access to:
Built-In Community of Up-and-Coming SBA Lenders
Mentorship Connections with Industry Experts
World-Class E-Learning Platform
Meet the Team
Dustin Baker
Chief Executive Officer
Dustin has been a trusted voice in SBA for over 2 decades. He began his SBA career in 1999 at the industry’s trade group, NAGGL. In 2004, he began working in SBA staffing, started his own firm in 2009, and has since placed hundreds of SBA professionals at some of the nation’s premier lenders. He is also the creator of The SBA Roadshow, a docu-series that tells the story of the economic impact of SBA loans in communities across the country. When his nose isn’t in the computer, you will find it in a nice glass of Paso Robles wine.
Karen McHugh
Chief Content Officer
Karen is personally responsible for training more SBA professionals than anyone in the history of the SBA industry. She was the EVP and COO at NAGGL, where she developed the trade association’s first Educational Program from scratch. She most recently managed internal training to the lending teams of a top 5 national SBA lender with more than 300 employees. When Karen isn’t brain-blasting on SBA training, you can find her with her toes in the white sands of Santa Rosa Beach with her sheepadoodle, Molly.
Alan Faulk
Chief Learning Officer
Alan is new to SBA but not to learning. He is a learning strategist and a leader in learning and organizational development. Before launching Why Not Consulting, which specializes in large-scale learning transformation, he led learning initiatives with brands like Heineken, University of Phoenix, and Spotify. You can catch Alan biking with a boombox every Sunday with his friends and family.
Shane Lewis
Chief Recruiting Officer
Shane is a partner and trusted advisor to many national leaders in SBA lending. Co-Founder of SBA Recruiting firm Baker Lewis, he is a Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC) with 10 years recruiting experience, and. Shane has placed over 400 SBA lending professionals nationwide and understands better than anyone the staffing challenges faced by the country’s SBA lenders. Shane is a hoodie-connoisseur, and sits in the top 0.5% of airport hoodie buyers.
John Handmaker
Chief Strategy Officer
John founded and grew two national SBA lending platforms into top 25 lenders, both of which he successfully sold. He’s a two time Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist, an SBA Financial Services Advocate of the Year, and has repeatedly appeared on the Inc. 5000 list. John is a Louisville stan, and has an undying love for The Grateful Dead.
Join the First Cohort
Save over $40K per year on each hire and build the next generation of SBA leaders