For Breck Hanson, a career in banking and commercial real estate has always been about more than numbers. Over more than four decades in the industry, the Purdue alumnus has built a reputation as a leader, mentor and philanthropist — someone who sees finance not simply as transactions, but as a way to help businesses, communities and colleagues succeed.
Hanson’s path to business leadership began at Purdue University, where strong math aptitude led many to assume engineering would be his future. But Hanson soon realized his interests were broader.
“My freshman year, I actually thought I was going to be an engineer,” Hanson recalls. “But as I explored different options, I found that business — and especially the problem-solving side of it — was a better fit.”
He graduated from Purdue with a degree in industrial management before going on to earn a master’s degree from Michigan State University. Between those academic milestones came another defining experience: service in the U.S. Air Force.
Hanson entered the Air Force through Purdue’s ROTC program and trained as a pilot/aircraft commander, serving six years in uniform. The experience instilled discipline, leadership and perspective — qualities that would shape his professional life long after he left the cockpit.
When Hanson transitioned to civilian life, he entered banking somewhat unexpectedly. Encouraged by a brother-in-law who worked in the industry, he took a job at a bank with the idea of exploring different career options. Instead, he found his calling.
“I naively thought I’d go to a bank and figure out what I wanted to do,” Hanson says. “I enjoyed it and made it a career.”
That career would span more than 40 years and include leadership roles at major financial institutions, including Northern Trust, LaSalle Bank, Bank of America and Associated Bank. Along the way, Hanson developed a deep specialization in commercial real estate lending, eventually overseeing large portfolios and guiding major lending teams across the nation.
At Associated Bank, where he served as executive vice president and head of commercial real estate, Hanson led lending efforts across six states. Earlier in his career he spent two decades building LaSalle Bank’s real estate lending business into one of the largest commercial real estate banking groups in the nation.
Despite the scale of the deals and portfolios involved, Hanson says the most meaningful aspect of his career has always been the people. Early on, he focused on helping clients solve financial problems. Over time, however, his role evolved into something larger: developing talent and helping others grow in their careers.
“As I matured in my career, I became as much of a manager and leader as a banker,” he says. “Watching people grow, watching them learn and succeed in their business endeavors — that became incredibly rewarding.”
Indeed, Hanson considers the success of former colleagues one of his greatest professional accomplishments. “My legacy in the Chicago real estate and banking industry is probably the number of people that worked with me who are now making significant contributions to the real estate banking community,” he says.
Beyond his professional achievements, Hanson has remained deeply connected to Purdue and the Daniels School of Business. He has served on the school’s Dean’s Advisory Council for more than two decades and has returned to campus to mentor students and speak in classrooms.
“Anything we can do to put Purdue graduates, with their admirable integrity and grassroots values, in positions of success — that’s part of the payback,” Hanson says. "The education I received at Purdue and the people I met here contributed to my success, and trying to pass that success on to the current generation is an easy decision to make."
That commitment has taken tangible form through philanthropy. Hanson and his wife have endowed scholarships supporting students in Purdue’s Dean V. White Real Estate Finance Program, helping make opportunities available to aspiring real estate professionals.
According to Mike Eriksen, professor of economics and director of the program, Hanson’s support plays a crucial role in the program’s continued growth.
“Breck Hanson’s generosity is an investment in the future of our students and the real estate industry,” Eriksen says. “Gifts like his allow us to expand experiential learning, strengthen our connections with industry leaders and create opportunities that prepare Purdue students to become the next generation of developers, investors and innovators. Support from alumni and partners like Breck helps ensure the Dean V. White Real Estate Finance Program continues to grow into one of the premier real estate programs in the country.”
Students who benefit from Hanson’s support feel that impact directly. Avery Huber, a Purdue senior and White Real Estate Scholar, says Hanson’s generosity and mentoring help students fully engage in the program’s demanding curriculum and national competitions.
“I’m grateful for Breck Hanson’s generosity over the three years I have spent in the Dean V. White Real Estate Finance Program,” says Huber. “His support through scholarships and his enthusiastic mentoring of students means taking full advantage of this program is more feasible and enjoyable.”
For Hanson, philanthropy is rooted in gratitude and a desire to give back.
“I really believe in paying it back,” he says. “There were people along the way that helped me. And I think my wife and I get as much out of what we contribute as the recipient.”
It’s a philosophy shaped by decades of leadership — and by a career defined not only by financial success but also by the impact he has made on the people and institutions around him.
