Kick Off to Summer in Silt to support Special Olympics

An Alpine Bank publication serving our Colorado communities since 1983 • Fall 2016
Valley Settlement Project Focuses on Early Childhood Education
Located in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley, the Valley
Settlement Project provides a variety of educational programs to
the Roaring Fork School District community. From infants and
toddlers through adults, Valley Settlement works with hundreds of
families each year to improve school readiness and community
engagement. Valley Settlement partners with the school district to
provide parent mentor volunteers in dozens of elementary school
classrooms each year.
For the fifth year, preschool is being held in Little Buses
sponsored by Valley Settlement Project. Ninety-six three-and
four-year-olds from Basalt to Glenwood Springs are beginning their
school journey. In donated vans that are transformed into beautiful
classrooms, the Little Buses have become a familiar part of the
community. There are three Little Buses that travel to 12
neighborhoods each week. On schedule, one of the Little Buses
pulls in right near the Alpine Bank office in Glenwood Springs,
where they are greeted by their two teachers. For the next 2 ½
hours, children learn through a mix of activities, building their
language, literacy, math and social skills needed to succeed in
kindergarten.
The Little Buses are giving an important start to children who
otherwise would not be able to attend preschool because of a lack
of transportation, while teaching parents the important role in their
children’s development. In June, 50 children graduated into
kindergarten, ready to tackle the school work ahead. For more
information about Valley Settlement Project, visit
valleysettlement.org.
The Valley Settlement Project brings preschool to low-income families from Basalt to Glenwood Springs using the Little Bus, a mobile classroom.
Eagle County’s Stars Shine to Benefit Local Youth
Alpine Bank is proud to congratulate its own Mike Glass,
Alpine Bank Vail president, on a wonderful performance at the
2016 Star Dancing Gala. Glass was one of eight local “celebrities”
invited to participate in the annual Eagle County fundraising event,
which took place July 14.
This event featured dance performances by notable locals and
professional dancers, each performing a different genre of dance.
Similar to popular dance television shows, the local "stars" accepted
the challenge to train with a professional dancer and perform in
front of a live audience for the benefit of children in the Vail Valley.
"Mike Glass was a talented, hardworking dancer,” said Maria
Barry, Glass’s dance partner. “He has quick feet and a strong mind
and body.”
All proceeds from the Star Dancing Gala benefit
YouthPower365. Under the umbrella of the Vail Valley
Foundation, YouthPower365 strives to raise the quality of life,
health and education for young people throughout the Vail Valley.
The organization currently provides development and education
programming for more than 4,000 children in Eagle County,
offering over 15 different programs.
“I’m proud to support YouthPower365 because of the
powerful impact the programs have on kids’ development,” said
Glass. “YouthPower365 really does serve the needs of our youth,
and our community as a whole is better for it.”
More information about YouthPower365 can be found at
vvf.org/education/youthpower365.
Dancing star Mike Glass cuts loose with choreographer Maria Barry in the Star Dancing Gala to benefit YouthPower365.
Amazing Race Takes Over Steamboat
June 25 marked the inaugural Amazing Race and Sunset
Soirée—presented by title sponsor Alpine Bank and benefiting
Partners in Routt County, a local youth-mentoring organization.
Starting in Gondola Square, 32 teams of 2 embarked on a
mission to complete physical and mental challenges throughout the
city of Steamboat Springs, racing for one of the top three cash
prizes. The format of the event aligns closely with the mission of
Partners in Routt County, in which individuals partner up and rely
on teamwork, collaboration, communication and determination to
overcome challenges and reach their goal while having fun. Race
teams consisted of mentoring partnerships, parent and child,
friends, co-workers, siblings and spouses. Thirteen business
locations hosted challenge sites and 26 volunteers served as
challenge site/finish line marshals.
The race finished in Gondola Square with a barbecue lunch for
team participants and volunteers. In addition, Partners celebrated its
20th anniversary with free root beer floats open to the community.
The event concluded with the Sunset Soirée at the top of the
gondola, where guests enjoyed food, beverages, musical
entertainment, amazing sunset views and participated in the
Amazing Gift Giveaway drawing.
For more information on Partners in Routt County, visit
partnersrouttcounty.org.
Finishing the race in one hour, Michelle Caragol and her son Ian beat out 31 other teams to win the inaugural Partners Amazing Race in Steamboat Springs on June 25.
Environmental Advisory Board Presents Business Sustainability Award
In 2005, Clare Fuller, then operations supervisor for Alpine
Bank Snowmass Village asked her senior management team what
Alpine Bank was doing to lead the charge in terms of recycling.
And at that time, the answer was, “not a lot.” In the ensuing 11
years, Alpine Bank has become an industry leader in measuring,
auditing and reducing energy usage at all of its locations. Alpine
Bank has three LEED-certified buildings and purchases 100
percent green power directly from its utility providers, where
available. In addition, since 2005, water and energy consumption
have been significantly reduced at all locations.
However, all those important acts aren’t necessarily what
captured the attention of Snowmass Village’s Environmental
Advisory Board (EAB). It is truly the bank’s support of community
green initiatives that prompted the EAB to award Alpine Bank
Snowmass its third annual Business Sustainability Award on June
20. Environmental Advisory Board President Debbie Shore said,
“One of the first things we noticed is that Alpine Bank Snowmass
Village has long been the title sponsor of Snowmass Village’s
annual Clean Up Day held every May.” After scouring the Village
and picking up trash all morning, local volunteers enjoy a picnic
lunch sponsored by the bank. “Not only that,” Shore said, “our
Alpine bankers volunteer at the Thursday night concert series once
a summer, educating concertgoers about the Village’s recycling
efforts.” Shore added that Alpine Bank even bought the bright
green T-shirts all volunteers wear, identifying them as Recycling
Ambassadors. “We want all of our corporate volunteers to be like
Alpine Bank,” said Shore. “Their families are invited to volunteer
and the bank provides pizza and beverages for all!”
In presenting the award to Alpine Bank’s Drew Detrick and
George Hart, board member Sally Sparhawk said, “We can speak
about energy intensity and kilowatts saved, but here’s a local
business that is walking the ‘green’ walk. By their actions, Alpine is
the leader in the Village, ensuring this special place we call home
stays pristine. And, more importantly, they are having a great deal
of fun!”
From left, Drew Detrick, vice president at Alpine Bank Snowmass Village, receives the Business Sustainability Award from
Environmental Advisory Board member Sally Sparhawk, along with George Hart, president at Alpine Bank Snowmass Village.
Community Solar Helps Low-Income Families
in Summit County
On June 9, the Family and Intercultural Resource Center (FIRC) in Summit County
hosted a special celebration to acknowledge a first-of-its-kind relationship among private
organizations and a nonprofit—the FIRC—to bring the benefits of community-shared
solar power to low-income families.
Representatives from Alpine Bank, Clean Energy Collective (CEC) and the FIRC,
along with guest speakers from the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association and the
Summit County Board of Commissioners, addressed the audience by explaining that
Alpine Bank had purchased community solar panels for the sole purpose of low-income,
community reinvestment.
Alpine Bank purchased a 25-kW block of community solar capacity, about 82
individual solar photovoltaic (PV) panels in CEC’s Breckenridge Ullr community solar array
and donated it to the FIRC, a nonprofit that works to strengthen local families through
education and connection to resources. The FIRC will assign the monthly bill credits
earned by the panels’ power generation to qualifying local families. This donation can help
a variety of families offset their energy bills so they can use those additional resources to
help make sure their children have the best start in life or have health insurance.
“This innovative partnership with the FIRC and CEC is a great example of what we
represent,” said Founder and Chairman of Alpine Bank, Bob Young. “When we find that
we give back to the communities that have been so supportive of us, it’s a win-win deal.
Community solar gave us the right opportunity to do that.”
This initiative resulted in the selection of Alpine Bank as the recipient of this year’s
Grand National Award from the Independent Community Bankers Association (ICBA). In
August, the cover of ICBA’s magazine, Independent Banker, reflected the three entities
with a photo of Bob Young, Alpine Bank’s founder and chairman; Tim Braun, CEC’s
director of public affairs; and Thomas Davidson, Summit County commissioner. The
featured article reiterated the award was for the solar donation, and the award grant will help
support Alpine Bank’s future efforts.
Celebrating Statehood on Colorado’s
140th Birthday
Colorado became a state in 1876, exactly 100 years after the signing of the Declaration
of Independence, earning it the moniker of Centennial State. Colorado Day is an annual
observance that commemorates the state’s birthday on August 1, 1876.
On August 1, Alpine Bank in Denver partnered with History Colorado and Historic
Denver to celebrate Colorado’s birthday and support the community. History Colorado
works to preserve Colorado’s rich history not only in Denver, but statewide. They provide
educational experiences and tours and work all across the state to promote and preserve
Colorado’s history. Historic Denver, when established in 1970, was focused on preserving
the Molly Brown House from demolition. Since then, they have become the city’s leading
preservation organization. Alpine Bank partnered with each organization and provided a
donation in the amount of $1,876—in correlation with the year Colorado became a state
140 years ago—to their Colorado Day celebrations.
From left, Charlie Kercheval, Alpine Bank executive vice president; Mike Jacobs, Alpine Bank mortgage loan originator; Karrie
Fletcher, Alpine Bank president; Kari Mundschau, Alpine Bank vice president; Annie Levinsky, Historic Denver executive director;
Andrea Malcomb, Molly Brown House Museum director; Lisa Franke and Norm Franke, Alpine Bank regional president.
Alpine Bank Grants $30,000 to Celebrate Colorado Day
Across Colorado, Alpine Bank celebrated the 140th Colorado Day with awards totaling
more than $30,000 to nonprofits with a historic preservation or cultural mission. Listed
below are the benefiting organizations and programs.
Alpine Bank presented the Family and Intercultural Resource Center (FIRC) Executive Director Tamara Drangstveit a deed of
ownership for 25 kW of solar power from Summit County's community solar gardens. From left, Clean Energy Collective CEO
Paul Spencer, Tamara Drangstveit and Alpine Bank Chairman and Founder Bob Young.
Bow Wow Film Festival: For the Love of Dog
The second annual Bow Wow Film Festival kicked off its 2016 tour in July with Alpine
Bank as a key sponsor. The Bow Wow Film Festival started its tour with a rousing crowd
of 150 at the Sheridan Opera House in beautiful Telluride. People came out to spend the
evening watching award winning, funny and inspiring dog-centric short films. The films
included movies about a puppy on his first ski adventure; “Fred,” a movie about a girl, her
dog and a Frisbee; and “Ask Frank - Advice for Dogs” with his much celebrated “Squirrel
Interview” to name a few.
Susan Kelly,
founder,
introduces
the Bow
Wow Film
Festival to a
sold-out
crowd in
Durango.
Second Chance Humane Society, based in Ridgway, hosted the event and raised more
than $8,000. The money will help programs such as low-cost spay and neuter services, a
new Read with Rover program and an adoption facility that supports pet placement
throughout the region. The festival came to Durango on July 28 to another sold-out crowd
at the Durango Arts Center. Filmgoers raised $2,000 for the La Plata County Humane
Society.
Bow Wow Film Festival, based in Boulder, is a collection of dog-centric short films that
animal welfare groups use to create a fundraising event. The 2016 tour is traveling the state
and, with the support of Alpine Bank, has added shows in Montrose and Grand Junction.
So come on out and catch a show near you. You will have a blast and support important
animal-focused community resources. Visit bowwowfilmfest.com for details.
The Animas Museum
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
Avalon Theater
Foundation
Bookcliff Council on
Arts and Humanities
Breckenridge Heritage
Alliance
Colorado National
Monument Association
Colorado Ski and
Snowboard Museum
Delta County
Historical Museum
Friends of Mountain
Rescue
Frisco Historic Park
and Museum
Glenwood Springs Historical
Society and Frontier Museum
Historic Denver
History Colorado
Mesa Verde Foundation
Northwest Colorado
Cultural Heritage Program
Ouray County
Historical Society
Perry-Mansfield
Performing Arts School
& Camp
Summit Historical
Society
animasmuseum.org
avalontheatrefoundation.org
breckheritage.com
skimuseum.net
vailmountainrescue.org/friends
glenwoodhistory.com
historycolorado.org
nwcoloradoheritagetravel.org
Denver
Colorado Pet Pantry, PawsCo,
Colorado Citizens for Canine Welfare
Ridgway
Second Chance Humane Society
15
16
OCTOBER OCTOBER
6
14
OCTOBER OCTOBER
REMAINING
BOW WOW FILM
FESTIVAL
SCHEDULE
aspensantafeballet.com
bookcliffsartscenter.org
coloradonma.org
swcoloradoheritage.com
townoffrisco.com
historicdenver.org
mesaverdefoundation.org
ouraycountyhistoricalsociety.org
Carbondale
C.A.R.E. – Colorado Animal Rescue
Montrose
Second Chance Humane Society
perry-mansfield.org
summithistorical.org
2016 Milestone Anniversaries
Congratulations to all 2016 Milestone Anniversaries!
Alpine Bank is fortunate to have many employees who have given 10-plus years of service to the
bank. Loyal employees have dedicated many years of service to contribute to the bank’s success. Alpine
Bank is proud of its employees for their achievements at work as well as their contributions to local
communities.
Employees celebrating 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years are invited to monthly board meetings
where they receive verbal recognition as well as gifts of appreciation including pen sets, clocks, bronze
eagle statues, cash bonuses and lunch at Aspen Glen Country Club in Carbondale. Five-year employees
are treated to a recognition dinner at Aspen Glen and receive small desk clocks. Additionally, employees
are fully vested in the bank’s Employee Stock Ownership Program after six years of service.
(in alphabetical order by year)
40
15
10
Darlene Livsey
Dennis Alexander
Deana Davis
Jamie Dicks
Jason Fletcher
Sherry Gray
Noel Hansen
Chris Harrelson
Trisha Lopez
Edgar Luevanos
Tatsiana Miller
Lyn Mosher
Jamie Nixon
Alicia Sirotek
Veronica Vargas
Matt Vogel
Bill Walsh
Lisa Wing
Cynthia Brekhus
Missy Burns
Lisa Cortes
Sue Davis
Pati Edquist
Rosana Garcia
Carolee Hawkins
David High
Damion Holder
Mely Irigoyen
Anne Kellerby
Su Kentz
Ginn Lasley
Susan Leverenz
Kelli McClintic
Maggie McDade
Patrick McKibben
Justin Menge
Doug Peate
Dave Roberts
Jon Roberts
Peter Smith
Matt Teeters
Alejandra Tellez
Sherry Todd
Cassie Tufly
Joy Zeller
30
Tami Hale
Barbara Hyatt
25
Mike Brown
Carol Dresser
Clay Tufly
20
Michael Baker
Chris Brown
Tara Bunnell
Beth Drum
Karen Earl
Karrie Fletcher
Clare Fuller
Rhonda Gould
Keri Harwell
Kjerstin Hill
ElDonna Montgomery
James “J.P.” Powell
Debbie Torrey
Alpine Bank employees celebrating their milestone anniversaries are grouped together
by their hire date and recognized at monthly board meetings.
Thank You
to all Alpine B ank employees!
WildCO Mobile App for Wildlife Identification Available for Download
Key players in the WildCO app’s development gather at the launch party held at Alpine Bank Downtown Grand Junction.
Pictured from left, Jessica Munoz, library assistant; Karen Kllanxhja, development director; Shanachie Carroll, marketing
assistant; David Goe, marketing coordinator; Joseph Sanchez, library director; Amber Kollman, director of U.S. marketing at the
Colorado Tourism Office; Jane Fine Foster, president of the Library Foundation; Clay Tufly, Alpine Bank regional president and
Carolee Hawkins, Alpine Bank regional marketing director.
The Wild Colorado (WildCO) mobile app—a valuable new resource for recreationists,
tourists, educators and anyone else who enjoys Colorado’s great outdoors—is now
available to the public.
Developed by the Mesa County Public Library Foundation and Mesa County Libraries,
with support from Alpine Bank and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the WildCO app puts the
power of a guidebook in the palm of your hand.
WildCO contains a searchable database of almost 300 species of mammals, fish, birds
and reptiles that live in Colorado. If they choose, app users can personalize their
wildlife-viewing experience by adding notes, taking photos and sharing sighting
information with other app users. WildCO is a free download for Apple and Android
devices.
“We are proud to make WildCO available to everyone throughout Colorado. No
matter where you are in our beautiful state, WildCO will come in handy to help you identify
the wildlife that you see,” said Joseph Sanchez, director of Mesa County Libraries.
“Everyone who downloads this app will experience the library in a radically new way.
WildCO is an interactive and educational library experience with no due date.”
Information about each of the animals in WildCO was provided by experts at
Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Many of the featured photographs were taken by
Colorado-based photographers. The app represents a cooperative effort between Mesa
County Libraries and many contributors to assemble a useful information resource that
mobile-device users can take anywhere.
The Mesa County Public Library Foundation successfully completed a fundraising
campaign last December to raise $15,000 for development of the WildCO app. Funds
were raised through Kickstarter and Alpine Bank made a generous $10,000 contribution to
push the campaign past its goal.
“The Alpine Bank team is excited for the launch of the WildCO app. We are proud to
have partnered with our visionary library district in bringing this educational tool for
students and wildlife enthusiasts to life for all Coloradans,” said Clay Tufly, Alpine Bank
regional president.
"The Mesa County Public Library Foundation is thrilled to be part of this enhanced use
of the library,” said Jane Fine Foster, president of the foundation board. “As with many
technical programs, Coloradans will soon not remember life without WildCO!”
For more information, visit mesacountylibraries.org.
Alpine Bank Celebrates
Kris Gardner’s Career
On August 1, Kris Gardner celebrated 42 years with
Alpine Bank. During those years, Kris has not only seen
changes in the banking industry, she has been a factor in
them. As Chairman and Founder Bob Young remarked at a
recent board meeting, “Kris has been part of every
milestone and achievement Alpine Bank has enjoyed.” Kris
is a fourth-generation Roaring Fork Valley native, with roots
that run deep in the history of the farming and ranching
communities. Early 1900s Carbondale Potato Days
celebrations were organized in part by her great-grandfather
Gardner; and Sayre Park, where Strawberry Days in
Glenwood Springs is now held, was donated to the city by
her grandfather Sayre who ranched on the property up until
the early 1940s.
“I was starting a
fantastic career journey
that most people can
only imagine.”
Kris has made some history of her own on the Western
Slope. Her many accomplishments include: being one of
the first three women west of Denver to be made president
of a bank, being honored as Woman of the Year by the
Glenwood Springs Business and Professional Women,
receiving a Distinguished Service Award for her extensive
work on the Glenwood Chamber of Commerce board,
helping organize the Glenwood Springs’ centennial event in
1986, and later, serving with Glenwood Springs’
Community on the Move in 1991. Kris served in every
capacity in the former National Association of Bank
Women. In 1987, Kris was appointed to the Small Business
Committee on Economic Development by Governor Roy
Romer. The next year, the governor appointed her to the
Colorado Fire and Police Pension Association board of
directors where she served for 20 years while the fund grew
from $500 million to over $2 billion. In 1989, Kris was
appointed to the Colorado Bankers Association
Community Relations Committee. She also served as
director with the Colorado Bankers Association. For all this,
Kris was singled out with nine other successful women in a
1990 Glenwood Post article titled "Women of the Western
Slope," which highlighted each one’s special niche in the
community and their talents. In 2004, Colorado State
Representative Scott McInnis paid tribute to Kris for the
Congressional Record.
1972 Graduated from Colorado State
University with a degree in consumer
economics, finance and business
1974 Began working as a teller at Roaring
Fork Bank in Carbondale
1980 Promoted to cashier/vice president and
transferred to Glenwood Springs to help open the
new Valley Bank and Trust
1983 Named the Glenwood Springs Business and
Professional Woman of the Year
1985 Promoted to president of West Glenwood
Springs Alpine Bank (One of three female
presidents in western Colorado at the time)
1985 Made a director of Alpine Bank and also made
senior vice president of Alpine Banks of Colorado
1987 Appointed to the Small Business Committee
on Economic Development by Colorado Governor Roy
Romer
Kris started her career with Alpine Bank in 1974 when
the brand-new bank in Carbondale was still called Roaring
Fork Bank and had been in business only a little over a year.
She had work experience with a bank in Denver, having
previously earned her degree from CSU in consumer
economics, finance and business, but Kris missed her
mountain home and saw opportunity in getting in with a
bank in its infancy. Bob Young remembers, “Kris started
soon after we opened our second bank in Snowmass
Village. We were looking for someone who could step into
a role in Carbondale that had been vacated by someone
who’d been transferred to the new bank.” Although she was
probably overqualified for the teller position she took, Kris
set to work doing virtually every job a person can do in a
bank, from teller to bookkeeper, proof operator to cashier,
operations officer, loan officer and manager, and even
1989 Appointed to the Colorado Bankers
Association Community Relations Committee
1993 Recognized as one of Carbondale’s
Western Women of Courage
1995 Promoted to executive vice president of
the Alpine Banks of Colorado holding company
2013 Named chief administration officer of
Alpine Bank
served a stint as janitor trying to earn money for a trip to
Hawaii. In 1980, newly promoted to vice president, she
transferred and helped open what was then called Valley
Bank and Trust in Glenwood Springs. When she was made
president of the soon-to-be West Glenwood Springs Alpine
Bank, it was Kris who applied for the charter, got the
approvals in place, supervised the construction and
proceeded to run the bank. Kris reminisced, “Little did I
know when I wandered into what is now Alpine Bank
Carbondale some 42 years ago, that I was starting a fantastic
career journey that most people can only imagine. I would
not trade the years for anything.”
“I am looking at this as
an awesome opportunity
to leave my Alpine family
and spend time with my
lifelong family.”
Kris was made a director of Alpine Bank and senior vice
president of the holding company in 1985. She continues
today with holding company duties and administration of
the bank, supervising the human resources and training
departments, the risk management department, audit and
accounting, legal and regulatory relations, helping to oversee
the bank’s investment portfolio as well as working closely
with the bank’s shareholders. Her title is chief administration
officer, and she is one of six senior executives at Alpine
Bank who form the top tier of the management team.
Kris Gardner announced her retirement earlier this
summer, and she plans to step down from her day-to-day
duties in January 2017. When asked what she plans to do
going forward, Kris was quick to respond, “I am looking at
this as an awesome opportunity to leave my Alpine family
and spend time with my lifelong family. I feel like I am
leaving at an opportune time—the bank has a management
team in place that is second to none under the guidance of
Bob Young and Glen Jammaron. I am very grateful that I
am going to have the opportunity to stay involved at the
board of director level so I can stay connected to the
continued success of my Alpine Bank family and
coworkers.”
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