Hillcrest Bank expands into Utah, Samuelson named area president
Hillcrest Bank, a division of National Bank Holdings Corp. (NBH) of Greenwood Village, Colorado, has expanded into Utah with the intent of serving commercial and business banking clients along the Wasatch Front, the company has announced.
Chet Samuelson, formerly of Wells Fargo Commercial Bank, will serve as Hillcrest Bank’s market president in Utah. With a B.S. and MBA from Weber State University, Samuelson began his career in Ogden with Bank One. He remained through the bank’s merger with J.P. Morgan Chase, working in positions ranging from credit analyst to senior banker. He led the bank through its acquisition of Washington Mutual in 2008. In 2014, Samuelson joined Wells Fargo and led its global banking expansion effort, serving as global banking regional manager for the eight mountain states. He has served the boards of World Trade Center Utah, MountainWest Capital Network, Utah Microenterprise Fund and the Utah County Chamber of Commerce.
“We are very excited to expand our commercial and business banking footprint into Utah, one of our country’s most diversified and progressive labor markets,” said Tim Laney, chairman, president and CEO of NBH. “We are fortunate to have Chet Samuelson join us to establish a strong foothold in what we recognize is a highly attractive and competitive market. In addition to his well-rounded and seasoned banking expertise, Chet also has a deep appreciation and understanding of the importance of being involved and engaged in the local community. We are thrilled to have Chet lead the way in serving our commercial and business clients and the community in Utah.”
“(NBH’s) strong commitment to relationship- and community-building is well-aligned to my values,” said Samuelson. “I am also impressed with the exceptional experience of the parent company’s management team. They clearly recognize the opportunity to serve one of the strongest business communities in the country, and I am honored to serve as a founding leader in the market I call home.”
NBH operates a network of 104 banking centers, serving consumers, businesses and government and nonprofit entities under the following brand names: Bank Midwest in Kansas and Missouri; Community Banks of Colorado in Colorado; and Hillcrest Bank in Texas, New Mexico and Utah.