Umpqua Bank Expands Middle Market Banking Division to Arizona

Bank opens Phoenix office, taps local banking leader Kevin Gillette to build best-in-class banking team

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Nov 09, 2021, 08:15 ET

PHOENIX, Nov. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Umpqua Bank, a subsidiary of Umpqua Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: UMPQ), today announced its expansion into the state of Arizona with the hire of Kevin Gillette to build and lead the bank's newly formed Phoenix middle market banking office. Gillette is one of Arizona's top banking leaders with more than 25 years of experience helping banks establish and grow commercial and corporate offices across the region.

Kevin Gillette SVP, Market Director - Arizona Middle Market Banking, Umpqua Bank

According to Richard Cabrera, executive vice president and head of middle marketing banking at Umpqua Bank, the new office and Gillette's addition reflect Umpqua's strategic priority to grow its middle market presence across the Western U.S. and position the bank to have an immediate impact in the market.

"Our commitment to every market we enter and to our customers' success starts with having high-caliber leaders in place with deep relationships and knowledge of the region's industries," said Cabrera. "Kevin has built some of the most successful middle market teams in the Western U.S. in Phoenix, and we're thrilled he's on board to help establish our presence and reputation in the marketplace."

Throughout his career, Gillette has focused on helping banks build diversified commercial portfolios in new markets. He most recently spent the last decade launching and building Bank of the West's commercial operations in Phoenix. During his 15-year tenure at Bank of America, Gillette held various leadership roles and built one of the most successful corporate banking offices in the Western U.S. He also has significant expertise supporting businesses in some of Arizona's most important sectors, including health care, technology, and distribution services, which are specialty areas for Umpqua.

"We're excited to join Arizona's vibrant business community and see tremendous opportunity to leverage Umpqua's unique combination of size, resources, and expertise to support its success," noted Tory Nixon, Umpqua Bank president. "Our desire is to be a trusted business partner that helps drive even greater prosperity across the state and the entire Southwest region of the U.S."

Gillette earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California and a graduate degree from Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University.

About Umpqua Bank
Umpqua Bank, headquartered in Roseburg, Ore., is a subsidiary of Umpqua Holdings Corporation, and has locations across Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada. Umpqua Bank has been recognized for its innovative customer experience and banking strategy by national publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BusinessWeek, Fast Company and CNBC. The company has been recognized for eight years in a row on FORTUNE magazine's list of the country's "100 Best Companies to Work For," and was recently named by The Portland Business Journal the Most Admired Financial Services Company in Oregon for the 16th consecutive year. In addition to its retail banking presence, Umpqua Bank owns Financial Pacific Leasing, Inc., a nationally recognized commercial finance company that provides equipment leases to small businesses.

SOURCE Umpqua Bank