High Plains Bank acquires Longmont building, changes exec team

LONGMONT — Flagler-based High Plains Bank, a family- and employee-owned bank that already has two branches in Longmont, has purchased a downtown building to house its new trust, estates and investment services department.

Bank CEO John Creighton told BizWest on Monday that the 5,800-square-foot building at 385 Main St. was acquired for $2.07 million from 385 Main LLC, and that he hoped the bank could move operations in by the third quarter of 2023.

According to Boulder County Assessor records, 385 Main LLC had purchased the two-story, 42-year-old building in September 2017 for $525,000.

Two businesses operate in the space, Creighton said, noting that Chamberlain Gold and Silver Exchange Ltd. would remain there but that the Chinese Medicine Clinic would likely stay open through the first few months of next year.

“Downtown Longmont is the best place we can imagine for our center of operations,” Creighton said. “We look forward to having our loan department and trust, estate, and investment services team centrally located in the heart of the community.”

The bank also has a full-service branch three blocks away at Sixth Avenue and Kimbark Street, and a new satellite location at 17th Avenue and Hover Street. It opened the Kimbark branch in March 2013 with a staff of five, and now has more than 30 full-time employees there. The northwest Longmont branch opened in 2021.

High Plains Bank, founded in 1908, completed construction of new branch buildings in Wiggins and Keenesburg this year and also has physical locations in Bennett and Flagler.

The bank on Monday also announced some promotions and additions in its executive staff, with Longmont market president Chris McVay taking over as chief development officer, to be replaced by new hire Narciso Garibay, and Jane Cox named head of the new Trust, Estate and Investment Services department.

McVay, who had been Longmont market president since 2013, earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business, then completed the Graduate School of Banking’s Executive Development Institute for Community Bankers. He serves on the board of the Left Hand Brewing Foundation and as treasurer for the Safe Shelter of St. Vrain Valley. He is past president of the Longmont Rotary Club, past chair of the Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Committee, and served on the boards of the Pearl Group and the Metro North Chamber of Commerce. He chaired the Metro North chamber’s leadership program for aspiring professionals.

“I look at every customer relationship as being unique,” McVay said in a prepared statement. “A one-size-fits-all approach to banking is outdated. I take great pride in crafting innovative solutions for High Plains Bank customers and look forward to working in this new capacity to engage with all of our branch location communities.”

Creighton added that “Chris has been the catalyst for the bank’s growth in Longmont over the past decade. He has the ability to build relationships and has a passion for the community, unlike anyone with whom I’ve had the opportunity to work.”

Garibay has served at a senior leadership level with more than 17 years of commercial banking experience, specifically within Boulder County. Prior to joining High Plains Bank, he was senior vice president and Boulder market leader for Citywide Banks, senior vice president for commercial banking at Commerce Bank for the Middle Market team, a first vice president for MidFirst Bank and senior vice president for Colorado Business Bank. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Colorado Boulder and a master’s in accounting and finance from Regis University.

“I’m a proud Boulder, Colorado native and am excited to join the High Plains Bank family,” Garibay said. “High Plains Bank is an authentic community bank that prioritizes family and community, and as a Longmont resident and new father, these values are important to me.”

“We have long aspired to be a bank that can truly serve our entire community,” Creighton said. “Narciso will help us develop ways to better serve those in our community who identify as Hispanic and Latino, among other initiatives. He is the perfect leader to help the bank take things to the next level in Longmont.”

Cox, a senior vice president, joined High Plains early this year, and the Trust, Estate and Investment Services team she will direct was started in November. She has 31 years of experience in trust and wealth management. Cox graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a bachelor’s degree in business and finance. She chairs the Longs Peak Hospital Foundation board, and previously was active on the boards of the OUR Center of Longmont, Friends of the Longmont Senior Center and St. John the Baptist Catholic Church.

“The Trust, Estate, and Investment Services department is another way that High Plains Bank is positively impacting our communities and represents our vision of doing the right things for our customers,” Cox said in a prepared statement. “I’m proud to be part of such an experienced and community-involved team of professionals.”

Cox is joined in the new department by trust officers Cindy L. Kindsfater and Robbin M. Bowler as well as trust administrator Jessica Garwood.

“Jane and her team’s approach to serving customers with compassion align closely with the bank’s core values,” Creighton said. “We could not be more excited to have Jane as part of our senior leadership team.”