Bridgewater Bank hires Jeff Bajek as senior credit officer

St. Louis Park, Minn.-based Bridgewater Bank named veteran banking executive Jeff Bajek senior vice president and senior credit officer, effective Dec. 1..Bajek will work with Bridgewater’s commercial banking and credit underwriting teams to support growth across Bridgewater’s C&I lending verticals, including SBA programs. He will also focus on strengthening the bank’s credit and risk management infrastructure, refining policies and processes and ensuring disciplined oversight aligns with strategic growth goals.Bajek has more than 30 years of experience in commercial and industrial lending, credit risk management and SBA loan operations, most recently as chief credit officer and shareholder at Oakdale, Minn.-based Platinum Bank, where he was credited with helping grow the loan portfolio to $610 million from $200 million. He’s also had senior leadership roles at Fargo, N.D.-based Choice Financial, Bloomington, Minn.-based Venture Bank, Peoples Bank of Commerce, and Richfield Bank & Trust.“Jeff’s deep C&I expertise, strategic insight, and proven leadership will be instrumental in driving growth while reinforcing the strong credit culture Bridgewater Bank is known for,” said Chief Credit Officer Katie Morrell.Bridgewater Bank operates nine branches and reported $5.4 billion in total assets as of Sept. 30.