Bell Bank Rapidly Expanding in Phoenix

Bell Bank is expanding its presence in the Phoenix metro, hiring 5 new banking leaders there.

Bell’s newest group of bankers to join our team in Phoenix will help guide commercial lending and deposit growth at Bell’s current and upcoming Arizona locations. (Watch our website and social channels for more info!) Kyle Kennedy, Bell’s Phoenix president and Arizona banking director, announced that Adam Christensen has been named senior vice president (SVP)/commercial banking manager and Gerald Deetz has been named SVP/commercial sales manager in the Phoenix market. They are joined on the commercial leadership team by Heidi Marshall, Kevin Herbst and Ben Allen.

Kyle notes that this leadership group joins Bell’s other Arizona leaders including SVP/commercial banking manager Brandon Brown, SVP/commercial real estate team leader Brent Walz and SVP/senior credit officer Adam White.

“Bell offers such a unique banking experience,” Kyle comments. “We combine a welcoming atmosphere with the advanced technology and highly competitive offerings you’d expect from larger national banks. We are excited to unite the incredible culture of Bell Bank with some of the best bankers in the Valley as we expand Bell’s presence in Arizona – and more importantly, carry out the bank’s bottom-line mission of creating a great place for people to work and do business.”

We’re proud to welcome these great leaders! Here’s a little more about them.

Adam Christensen, SVP/commercial banking manager, will promote Bell’s brand while growing relationships with individuals and businesses.

Adam is a graduate of Utah Valley University and holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Utah. He also graduated from the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington. He has been in banking and finance for more than 15 years, including positions as a banking team lead and commercial banking market manager and specialization in construction and contract lending.

Gerald Deetz is a diversified lender with a wide array of unique commercial lending skills and most recently served for 18 years with a regional bank’s state sales manager and senior commercial banker, establishing niche-industry financing.

Originally from Detroit, Mich., Gerald grew up in Houston and has lived in Arizona for nearly 20 years. He attended Stonier Graduate School.

Heidi Marshall, SVP/commercial banking commercial and industrial (C&I) team leader, will focus on loans to businesses, including niche lending for contractors and machine shops.

A graduate of Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey Business School, Heidi has more than 20 years of experience in commercial banking including financial analysis, loan underwriting, portfolio management and business development. She has also worked in fostering leadership and centers of influence, most recently in senior commercial banking positions.

Kevin Herbst, SVP/commercial banking commercial and industrial (C&I) team leader, will provide banking solutions with niches to contractors, nonprofit organizations and aviation.

A graduate of Michigan State University, Kevin also earned a master’s degree in business administration from Arizona State University. He has more than 25 years of banking experience, including roles that involved assisting customers in leveraging wealth management, investments, real estate and other aspects of finance.

Ben Allen, SVP/private banker, will provide private banking services, from day-to-day banking to more complex financial services, to business executives and other individuals.

Born and raised in Cottonwood, Ariz., Ben earned a bachelor’s degree in finance, with an investment management emphasis, from Northern Arizona University. He started his banking career as a private banker and now has 16 years of experience in the banking field.

Along with this leadership group, we’re excited to welcome these new team members:

• Jo Anderson , VP/commercial banker
• Jenifer Cave, VP/commercial banker
• Hope Doukas, VP/credit officer team lead
• Elias Espinoza, VP/commercial banker
• Fern Godfrey, commercial loan coordinator
• Natalie Gomez, commercial loan documentation team lead
• Susan Henderson, VP/treasury management officer
• Bryan Hill, credit officer
• Noelle Johnson, commercial loan coordinator
• Emily Marhevka, VP/credit officer team lead
• Lisa McCarthy, credit officer
• Tera McLoughlin, executive assistant
• Heather Nikolov, credit officer
• Jason Parris, VP/commercial banker
• Scott Smith, VP/credit officer team lead
• Rob Simon Jr., VP/treasury management officer
• Scott Stressman, VP/credit officer team lead
• Nicole Toplakk, commercial loan coordinator
• Michele Tzouganos, commercial loan coordinator
• Cathy Valenzuela, SVP/commercial banker
• Jennifer Wilson, VP/commercial banker