Chicago-based direct lender Big Shoulders Capital hired Joe Upson as director of sales for the Southeast. He will lead the Atlanta office.

Prior to joining Big Shoulders, Upson served as managing director of Heritage Global Capital, and as co-founder and principal of CompanionWay Capital, a senior secured lender focused on the middle market. Over the course of 30 years, he also held key strategic positions with GMAC Financial, Transamerica Financial, SunTrust Bank of Atlanta, Bank of Boston and DeNovo Capital.

“We are looking forward to leveraging Joe’s experience as we expand into a new geographic market,” said Big Shoulders Vice President Alex Mazer. “Joe has both the experience and the leadership talent to fuel our growth throughout the Southeast and, specifically, the Atlanta market.”

Throughout his career, Upson originated and arranged more than $1 billion in various financial instruments.