Wintrust Financial Corp. has expansion plans for Northwest Indiana and has chosen a longtime banking executive to lead the effort.

Bill Gertner was named senior vice president and market executive for LaPorte County. He was chosen for his deep connections in the county after 22 years with Horizon Bank, which has headquarters in Michigan City.

“Bill has spent more than two decades building relationships and helping businesses grow in Northwest Indiana,” said Tully Kari, group executive vice president for business banking, in a press release. “He knows this market and the people in it as well as anyone.”

Gertner most recently had been vice president and senior commercial loan officer at Horizon Bank for almost 10 years.

“I’ve called this community home for many years, and I look forward to deepening our business development footprint in the area, delivering what matters most – exceptional customer service,” Gertner said.

Gertner also is active in the La Porte community where he served on the Michigan City Redevelopment Commission, Michigan City Redevelopment Authority, La Porte County United Way, Michigan City Chamber of Commerce, La Porte County YMCA, La Porte Urban Enterprise Association and Junior Achievement.

“Business owners in LaPorte County deserve a banking partner who is invested in their success and that’s exactly what Wintrust, along with Bill’s leadership, intends to be,” Kari said.

Wintrust has been busy in Northwest Indiana. It is opening a branch in the Tolleston Opportunity Campus’s YMCA lobby in Gary. In January, the Krusinski Construction Co. began construction of a new two-story, 5,000-square-foot Wintrust branch in St. John. It is scheduled to open in late summer. Wintrust also has branches in Crown Point and Dyer.