From the 2025 Spring Journal of the Colorado Dental Association
By Molly Pereira, CDA Executive Director
Robin Wandschneider-Stiegelmar
I’m thrilled to announce the CDA’s newest endorsed company, Commerce Bank! Commerce has been endorsed as the association’s preferred practice financing vendor. As with all CDA endorsed companies, Commerce Bank was vetted by a board of directors that include your fellow dentists. Careful consideration was given to the products and services offered by Commerce, the benefit given to CDA members and the revenue share provided to the association.
All this said, it’s not just about the numbers. It’s about truly understanding the unique needs of dental practices and the customer service required for our dentists. I wanted to use my column this issue to introduce you to Robin Wandschneider-Stiegelmar, Commerce Bank Senior Vice President, who oversees dental banking, small business and retail. Robin is a familiar face in Colorado dentistry, and I hope you reach out to see how she can help you with your next business venture. Reach her directly at 303-214-5430 or Robin.Wandschneider@CommerceBank.com.
Take a look at my recent conversation with Robin:
How long have you been with Commerce Bank?
“I’ve worked at Commerce Bank for 23 years. I began on Tax Day, April 15, 2002, so it makes it easy to remember my work anniversary.”
What made you get into banking?
“I fell into banking by accident. Previously, I had done an internship at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver. They hired me after graduation to be in their management trainee program. I loved their five-star hospitality and the historic hotel scene. But, when I moved to about an hour north of Chicago, there wasn’t a swanky hotel to apply to, so I started working as a teller at a bank. I intended to be there only for a short while, but I quickly worked my way up the ladder to Special Services Teller with foreign currency and corporate bonds, then to Lead Teller, then Personal Banker, then Investment Advisor on the brokerage side, and then I had an opportunity to either go further on the investment side or go into branch management. I had just given birth to my first child, and I didn’t want to raise kids in the Chicago area, so we moved to Kansas where I started working for Commerce Bank as a Branch Manager. Then, in 2007, Commerce acquired a bank in the Denver metro area and moved me back home to be the Expansion Manager for that market. My role has evolved over the years, and now my focus is on Small Business Dental Banking and working with our local retail branches.”
Was working in finance always the dream?
“When I look back, I always gravitated toward finances. I took over balancing my parents’ checkbook when I was 12 years old. My parents would take me to financial seminars to interpret for my dad, who is deaf, and take notes. I took multiple courses on finance, wealth, investing in the stock market and others before I graduated high school. When it came time to put those career competencies into action, it was that much easier to be successful.”
What do you like about helping dentists? What made you so hyper focused on the dental industry?
“I feel like I was meant to be on this path. As a young teenager, I was having some personal challenges that my parents were unaware of. At the same time, I was seeing my dentist for a root canal that took multiple visits to address. My dentist, Dr. Andrea, would work on my teeth and then tell my mom that something else was going on with me, saying she could see it in my eyes. My mom took this to heart and, at the prodding of Dr. Andrea, approached me to talk about those difficulties I was facing. We were able to reach a resolution where everything turned out fine, thanks to the special attention Dr. Andrea paid me during those visits. I loved my dentist; it’s no exaggeration to say she changed my life. Even today, my current dentist is a close friend.”
How are dentists different from other clients who need business financing?
What special considerations do you take into account for dentists that you maybe wouldn’t consider for other professionals?
“I think that many dentists are the perfect mix of right-brain and left-brain thinking. They’re true artists who also have that independent, entrepreneurial spirit and drive that gives them such a passion to be their own boss. They balance the performance of beautiful dentistry with the growth of their business, which is why my team likes to come alongside them and help them maintain that balance. We focus on any financial concerns they may have and help identify any missing pieces in their financial strategies they may not even be aware of. Dentists often face unique challenges — such as educational debt when they’re recently out of school, or high financing ratios when acquiring costly equipment — which is why we developed underwriting criteria to focus specifically on their needs. For entrepreneurs, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, so while we do have a special program built for dentists, we can also explore different approaches if the parameters of a program create other limitations.”
Banking professionals tend to move a lot from bank to bank but you’ve been with Commerce for 23 years; why is that?
“There are a lot of reasons. Commerce Bank has been recognized as a top regional bank on multiple occasions. We always strive to do the right thing for our customers, and I help empower my team members to do the same. We are a flat organization, and we prioritize collaboration. I can pick up the phone and talk to our underwriters multiple times a day, if needed. I can easily call my boss’s boss, the Chairman & CEO of Commerce Bank, which is not typical for a bank our size. Our culture is that of responsiveness and growth. We create relationships with our customers rather than just focusing on transactions. I don’t have a reason to leave an organization where we can have such a positive impact both internally, for our own team members, and externally, for our customers.”
Some might worry that Commerce is a small bank; is that a valid worry?
“Currently, we’re the 43rd largest U.S. bank based on asset size, and Forbes rates us as 37th on their 2025 list of Best Banks in the nation, as well as second in Missouri, where we’re headquartered. Although we’re smaller than some of the nationally known brands, the quality of our solutions and our clients is elevated well above what our asset size might suggest. Our size, if anything, allows for our flat structure, and allows us to have more direct relationships with our customers. We have all the sophisticated products that the larger banks have, but we’re empowered to work with our clients on an individual basis. Our goal is for our customers to feel like they have the close relationship of a community bank while reaping the benefits of high-quality customer service and industry-specific solutions.”
Is there an advantage to working with a smaller bank rather than a huge entity?
“There are many advantages. Recently, I met a doctor who was going to miss out on the purchase of their dream practice if we didn’t close in three weeks. From our initial conversation to the wire transfer to the seller, our whole team pulled together to make that happen for them. Our underwriters were working late, I was dropping by their house to get signatures — but we got it done. A bigger bank simply wouldn’t have been willing to push that hard, across all departments, to make that happen. That’s a key difference; we’re willing to go that extra mile for our customers.”
How does Commerce approach lending to a profession with such substantial overhead and student loans?
“We understand that dentists come out of school with a lot of debt, and dental practices are often financed at 100% to 110% of purchase price with our programs. That’s why we’re so keen to apply industry-specific criteria and take a flexible approach. We get to know our customers, it all starts with a conversation to understand them and their needs. We won’t always finance every application that comes our direction, but if the decision is a “no,” we won’t stop there. We’ll explain the why behind our decision and outline a possible path toward future approval. It’s in our best interest to see our customers succeed, and we’re happy to keep working with them to help make that happen.”
How do you cater to dentists in different places in their careers?
“With 160 years of experience, Commerce Bank has seen professionals of all career stages. We have the tools and solutions to assist if priorities shift from practice-building to practice-expanding or beyond. There are as many different paths as there are dentists, but our process always begins with where you are now, where do you want to go, and how can we help you get there.”
