Heritage Bank Named the Bronze Award Winner of Washington's Best Workplaces by Puget Sound Business Journal

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Sep 01, 2010, 03:11 ET

OLYMPIA, Wash., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Heritage Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: HFWA), parent company of Heritage Bank and Central Valley Bank, today announced that the Puget Sound Business Journal honored Heritage Bank as the Bronze Award Winner in the Large Business Category of Washington's Best Workplaces.

Brian Vance, President and Chief Executive Officer commented, "Heritage Bank is honored to be a Bronze Award Winner in the Puget Sound Business Journal's Washington's Best Workplaces in 2010. We are also very pleased that this is the second consecutive year to be honored with an award by the Puget Sound Business Journal. We are fortunate to have a quality team of employees, which serve our customers and our community with excellence. We recognize the importance of providing a quality work environment especially during these difficult economic times. We enjoy a common thread of teamwork, fun events, strong communication and advancement opportunities with our employees. This award was won as a result of the culture that all of us embrace, believe and live everyday at Heritage Bank."

The Puget Sound Business Journal's Washington's Best Workplaces was launched in 2007 to identify and recognize best practices in the hiring and retention of great people. Surveys by nominee-company employees across the state were submitted and after an extensive process finalists were chosen in five different categories; Small Business, Medium Business, Large Business, Extra Large Business and Nonprofit Organization Categories. Out of all companies nominated, 80 companies were selected as finalists based on their various employee benefit offerings, leadership culture and work/life balance philosophies. The finalists – 20 small companies, 20 medium-sized companies, 20 large companies, and 10 nonprofits – were celebrated at a one-of-a-kind awards event at Safeco Field on August 12th.

Heritage Bank has been in business for more than 80 years working effectively to build a bank with strong fundamentals. The success and longevity of Heritage is based in the quality of the people it has employed. Mr. Vance meets frequently with all new employees to communicate the importance of the Bank's vision and mission statements. With a vision of "We are an innovative team providing financial services where your success is our vision" we provide products and services designed with customers and their financial goals in mind. With a mission of "We are committed to continuously improving customer satisfaction, employee empowerment and shareholder value" the Heritage staff works together as a team focused on building lasting relationships to help customers reach their financial goals and are dedicated to exceeding our customers' expectations.

And finally, Heritage is an integral part of the community, giving back to the communities we serve through a combination of contributions both monetarily and through our staff's volunteer efforts, which strengthen the core of our communities.

Heritage Financial Corporation is a bank holding company headquartered in Olympia, Washington. The Company operates two community banks, Heritage Bank and Central Valley Bank. With the recent FDIC-assisted acquisition of Cowlitz Bank, Heritage Bank now serves western Washington and the greater Portland, Oregon area through its twenty-four full-service banking offices and its Online Banking Website www.HeritageBankWA.com. Central Valley Bank serves Yakima and Kittitas Counties in central Washington through its six full-service banking offices and its Online Banking Website www.CVBankWA.com. Additional information about Heritage Financial Corporation is available on its Internet Website www.HF-WA.com.

SOURCE Heritage Financial Corporation