Bank of the West 2006 Annual Report Download - page 12

“Our company has grown rapidly for the last 10 years and so has our
relationship with one bank, Bank of the West. The bank’s nancing
helped us purchase an additional plant, add a new production room,
and install equipment to develop our business. Over the years, our
banking needs have indeed evolved and Bank of the West has been
there for us through it all.”
Small Business Relationship
B A N K I N G
Small businesses and companies that
seek the next level of growth find
benefits in Bank of the West’s scalable
relationship banking services.
Through more than 700 branches and
commercial banking offices in our
regional network, our commercial
bankers provide tailored services to
customers involved in a variety of
industries. As their banking needs
change, the long-term relationships
we’ve fostered allow us to adapt and
grow with our customers.
For example, in 1998 our banking
relationship with J. Lieb Foods, Inc.,
of Portland, Oregon, a contract bottler
of salad dressings, sauces, beverages
and fruit preserves, began with
an equipment lease. Bank of the West
then provided financing for the
company to expand its manufacturing
capacity. We now service the company
with our WebDirect online banking
product for businesses and provide an
operating line of credit. Real estate
loans have allowed J. Lieb Foods to
further expand through the purchase
of a cold storage facility and an
additional bottling plant in Yakima,
Washington.
A 30-year business banking relation-
ship with Bank of the West has
helped Bowlin Travel Centers, Inc. of
Albuquerque, New Mexico, grow from
a family-owned business to a small
publicly traded corporation. Known
for serving the traveling public with
Southwestern tradition and hospitality,
Bowlin maintains 12 roadside gift
stores and five restaurants in New
Mexico and southern Arizona. Bowlin’s
long-term banking relationship
started with deposit accounts and has
since grown to include term loans,
lines of credit, letters of credit and
various cash management services
like Positive Pay, Automated Clearing
House, and WebDirect.
Another example of how Bank of the
West has grown with a customer
is our banking relationship with La
Crosse Technology in La Crosse,
Wisconsin. The multinational company
manufactures consumer electronics
including radio-controlled clocks and
watches, wireless weather stations,
power monitors, and other measuring
devices. What began with a financing
arrangement has grown over the
years into a banking relationship that
includes cash management services,
investments, capital markets products
and Electronic Depository Service
that gives companies the convenience
to make deposits and balance
their accounts electronically using a
dedicated scanner.
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-Jim Lieb (left) and Dallas Bream, co-owners
J. Lieb Foods, Inc., Portland, OR