Pub. 4 2014-2015 Issue 1

O V E R A C E N T U R Y : B U I L D I N G B E T T E R B A N K S - H E L P I N G C O L O R A D A N S R E A L I Z E D R E A M S July • August 2014 5 Jeff Schmitz Takes Reins as CBA Chairman CBA’s newest chairman has a one-word answer to how banks can continue to serve their customers well: growth. Jeff Schmitz, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Citywide Banks, says he wants to increase the ranks of bankers educated to advocate for their jobs and industry in this “Dodd-Frank world,” in which the number of U.S. banks is expected to dwindle to 4500 over the next handful of years. “What I’d like to do this year is to engage not just the executives, but those people who want to be (executives) in your bank,” he said. “Their growth enhances their own ca- reers, their roles in their banks and their banks’ ability serve customers and the community.” As he prepared to take the reins from Koger Propst, president of SturmFinancial Group and ANB Bank, Schmitz launched his engagement campaignwith a “nomination form” distributed to members of CBA’s Board of Directors and Government Affairs Committee, who were asked to identify up-and-coming employees at their banks to become more involved with the Colorado Bankers Association. “In order to thrive long term, your Colorado Bankers Association must engage industry leaders who need an op- portunity to stand out in their bank and who have the desire to give back to the industry,” Schmitz wrote. He said he believes the pendulum that swung is starting to stop and pressure must be kept up to “eliminate the blanket that was thrown on the industry” by burdensome rules such as Dodd-Frank. Schmitz has seen the industry ebb and flow in his years at Citywide. Having formerly worked in the real estate sales and financing industries and in software development, Schmitz brings a fresh perspective to banking. His direct responsibilities include the oversight of deposit operations, IT, marketing, CRA, residential mortgage, and human resources. He co-founded JamLOGICSoftware, which designed human resources tools for small companies around the country and was sold to a strategic partner in 2000. He serves as chairman of CBA’s Government Affairs Committee, and gives his time to organizations including Colorado Uplift and the Archdiocese of Northern Colorado, as well as having served on the boards of directors for serv- ing on the boards of Machebeuf High School (past chair), PGA Foundation Board, Colorado Civil Justice League and the Accountability Committee for High Plains Elementary. “The strong, enthusiastic leadership of (Jeff Schmitz) will help CBA improve the economy and provide opportunities for customers, which in turn benefits banks,” saidDon Childears, president and CEO of the Colorado Bankers Association. Schmitz said bankers must focus on the positive, despite ever-growing page numbers of regulations that challenge the industry. He pointed to positive signs including economic growth that indicate a positive turn for banking. He was quick to say that much work remains to help banks continue to serve their customers’ needs. “Banking is starting to get fun again,” Schmitz said. Schmitz’s term as CBA chairman will continue through May, 2015, when he will hand over the gavel to Mark Bower of Home State Bank, who is serving this year as chairman- elect. n BY AMANDA AVERCH