Bell Bank hires 5 new leaders in Phoenix
Bell Bank is expanding its presence in the Phoenix metro, hiring 5 new banking leaders to help guide commercial lending and deposit growth at Bell’s current and upcoming locations. Kyle Kennedy, Bell’s Phoenix president and Arizona banking director, announced that Adam Christensen has been named senior vice president (SVP)/commercial banker and Gerald Deetz has been named SVP/commercial sales manager in the Phoenix market.
Deetz and Christensen are joined on the commercial leadership team by Heidi Marshall, Kevin Herbst and Ben Allen.
Adam Christensen, SVP/commercial banking manager, will promote Bell’s brand while growing relationships with individuals and businesses.
Christensen 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.
Christensen has 6 children. He and his wife, Andrea, live in the Phoenix area.
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 as a state sales manager and senior commercial banker, establishing niche-industry financing.
“I’m excited to join Bell’s commercial leadership team,” Deetz said. “All of us share a people-first philosophy of banking. Our focus on building relationships, and providing personalized service in the best interest of our clients, will offers people a banking experience they won’t find elsewhere. Bell has continued to help businesses through these challenging times, and I’m pleased to be a part of that.”
Originally from Detroit, Mich., Deetz grew up in Houston and has lived in Arizona for nearly 20 years. He attended Stonier Graduate School.
He lives in the Phoenix area with his wife, Samantha.
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, Marshall 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.
Marshall lives in the Phoenix metro’s East Valley with her husband, Mike. They have 4 sons.
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, Herbst 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.
Herbst lives in the Phoenix area with his wife, Becky.
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., Allen 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.
Allen and his wife, Elise, live in Phoenix with their two children.
Kennedy noted that this leadership group joins Kennedy and 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,” Kennedy said. “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.”
Johnson Carlier hires Laura Shivers
Johnson Carlier, an Arizona-based independently managed general contractor, recently hired Laura Shivers, a 17-year industry veteran as the company’s director of business strategy. Shivers will be responsible for developing long-term partner relationships and modeling initiatives to drive sales efficiency and productivity, along with executing go-to-market strategies while promoting the century of excellence Johnson Carlier offers.
“Having the opportunity of inviting her to be an invaluable team member to our group is huge for the future of our office both culture-wise as well as her technical abilities in developing business strategy and how we message our brand effectively. She is the leader that we have been long searching for,” said Tom Harrison, senior vice president, managing director of Johnson Carlier. “We strongly believe that she will have great success far beyond what her role requires.”
Prior to Johnson Carlier, Shivers was the marketing director and a part of the strategic leadership team at Adolfson & Peterson Construction. Additionally, within the last 17 years, she ran her own small business marketing consulting firm servicing the construction industry, and more specifically, general contractors.
Shivers is also the Executive Director and Founder of Back 2 School Bounty, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to reducing teachers’ out-of-pocket expenses in Arizona, Colorado, and Minnesota. With Shivers’ addition to the team, Johnson Carlier who also strongly supports community involvement will become an annual sponsor. Shivers also regularly volunteers within local school districts teaching art and cooking to elementary students.
