Pub. 16 2019 Issue 2

22 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 N E W M E X I C O R E A L I Z E D R E A M S BANK NEWS Bell Bank Mortgage Opens Albuquerque Office, Plans Further Expansion in New Mexico Bell Bank Mortgage, a division of Fargo, North Dakota-based Bell Bank, is expanding its Southwest footprint by opening its first Albuquerque location. The bank is set to operate in the Uptown area of the city at 2440 Louisiana Blvd. NE, across the street from the Coronado Center. Yvette Klinkmann is the bank’s New Mexico area manager. The bank also opened a location in Clovis in November and plans to open an office in Santa Fe, according to Tony Weick, president of Bell Bank Mortgage. Weick calls the Uptown area “very vi- brant,” with a strong retail presence and professional services nearby. Bell Bank Mortgage was attracted to upward trends in Albuquerque’s economy and housing, he says. Chippeaux to Retire as Century Bank Chairman Santa Fe-based Century Bank announced that Bryan “Chip” Chippaux will retire as chairman of the board this fall, having served the bank for more than 35 years. He will continue to work with the bank in a limited capacity until the end of the year. Chippeaux began his career with Century Bank in 1983 as the principal accounting and operations officer. He has held several positions at the bank, including president and CEO. Under his leadership, Century Bank has expanded to multiple locations in New Mexico and has grown from $70 million in as - sets in 1983 to more than $864 million as of April. Chippeaux has served as a board member for a number of nonprofit organizations, including St. Vincent Hospital Foundation, Tierra Contenta Corp., the Wheelwright Museum, New Mexico Centennial Foundation, Santa Fe Arts Commission, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce. He has also served on the boards of the Federal Home Loan Bank’s member advisory council and the Inde - pendent Community Bankers of New Mexico. “Chip has been a key player in the success of Centu- ry Bank,” says Paul Sowards, president and CEO. “He is respected throughout New Mexico as a leader in the industry.” Established in 1887, Century Bank operates bank - ing offices in Albuquerque, Espanola, Las Cruces, Rio Rancho and Santa Fe. Albuquerque Journal Names Pioneer Bank and Bank of Albuquerque Top Workplaces in New Mexico Roswell-based Pioneer Bank and Bank of Albu - querque have been awarded a “Top Workplaces 2019” honor by the Albuquerque Journal. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by research partner Energage LLC. The anonymous survey measures several aspects of workplace culture, including align- ment, execution and connection. “Pioneer Bank is proud to have earned this award for the third year in a row,” says Christopher Palmer, Pioneer Bank’s president and CEO. “It really means a lot to us and to me personally as we earned it based on how our team members feel about our organiza- tion. We are proud to have a company culture that is continually improving and a program that lets our team know how important their individual success is in making Pioneer Bank successful.” “Our research shows organizations that earn the award attract better talent, experience lower turn- over and are better equipped to deliver bottom-line results,” says Doug Claffey, CEO of Energage. “Their leadership prioritize and carefully craft a healthy workplace culture that supports employee engage- ment. Becoming a Top Workplace isn’t something organizations can buy. It’s an achievement organi - zations have worked for and a distinction that gives them a competitive advantage. It’s a big deal.” Century Bank Expanding to Los Alamos Santa Fe-based Century Bank is opening its first branch in Los Alamos, according to Albuquerque Business First. Gary Lutz, regional president for Century Bank, told Business First that the bank was attracted to Los Alamos by its vibrant community. The Los Alamos branch will be Century Bank’s ninth across the state. n