Beattie. “Of that, $250,000 was donated to the Talent Urban Renewal Agency for a project called The Gateway Project that established infrastructure for temporary housing.” Bank of the Pacific’s footprint extends from Lynden, Washington, near the Canadian border, to Salem, Oregon and the northern Oregon coast up to Taholah, Washington, north of Ocean Shores. It employs 220 people—all with close ties to the communities they serve. The bank supports local communities through sponsorships, volunteerism and charitable contributions, including a recent $80,000 contribution matched by the Federal Home Loan Bank System. That money helped nonprofits tackling food insecurity and providing affordable housing. Headquartered in Vancouver, Riverview Bank’s 17 branches stretch from Ridgefield east to Goldendale, Washington, and south to Aumsville, Oregon, employing 250 people. If you live near any of the branches, you’ll see Riverview’s distinctive brand announcing its sponsorship of a number of events and activities. Those events and activities included 1,868 volunteer hours by Riverview’s employees and $326,500 in community investments last year. Sherman also discussed her commitment to serving on boards and supporting local organizations that make a meaningful contribution to women, children and education. The Accidental Bankers The three CEOs call themselves accidental bankers. Riverview’s Sherman started as a bank teller in high school, never intending to make it a career. “I went to school for half the day and had a job for half the day, and it turns out I liked it.” She quickly rose through the ranks, becoming an executive vice president by age 31. Though she comes from a family of bankers, including a bank founder, Beattie initially went into the healthcare field after graduating from college, even though she briefly tried her hand at banking during her college days. When a move brought her to southern Oregon in 1992, she joined a community bank. A few career moves later brought her to People’s Bank of Commerce in 2013. Portmann worked as a CPA for a firm that audited banks, eventually transitioning into a CFO position with one of her client banks. For all three women, community banking differs from other institutions because of their smaller size and ability to connect with clients and make a tangible difference in the communities and with the people they serve. Each bank’s employees are encouraged to give their time and talent to local groups and causes through volunteering. Although the banks have no formal system or set number of volunteer hours per employee, each institution provides paid time off to employees who volunteer with organizations that matter to them. Beattie, Sherman and Portmann all agree that community banking involves much more than providing the banking products and services needed by local businesses and individuals. It also means supporting those entities critical to the resilience of the community. In that arena, these three truly stand out. Bank of the Pacific team members present a $10,000 Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines Member Impact Fund grant to Coastal Harvest Food Bank Distribution Center. Riverview Bank team members joined J. Scott Campbell’s Christmas Promise event, organized by Waste Connections, to build 643 bicycles for children in need. FEATURE STORY Winter 2025 • BANKING MATTERS 25
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