Nine Petaluma Leaders Named to Bank of Marin Advisory Board

Nine Petaluma community leaders have been named to the Advisory Board, where they will guide and advise the community bank on everything from where to open a branch to what kind of services to provide.

Advisors are selected for their specific knowledge of the local business and philanthropic community in the North Bay and join 29 other trustees from neighboring communities.

The Petaluma appointments include: 

Ron Blanquie, Insurance Consulting Associates, Inc.

Belinda Guadarrama,

Elece Hempel,

Ken Mazzetta, Mazzetta Dairy

Lyle Smith, Martin Ranch Supply

Clark Thompson, Clark Thompson Insurance

Abbie Walther, Moose Boats, Inc.

J.T. Wick, Berg Holdings

“These are movers and shakers who understand the needs of the community,” said Peter Pelham, executive vice president of the Bank of Marin. “They are our eyes and ears, they tell us what works and what doesn’t.”

The bank, headquartered in Novato, is one of the largest North Bay banks with eighteen offices in Marin, San Francisco, Sonoma and Napa counties, including three branches in Petaluma.

“If you are a big bank, you do same thing in every town,” Pelham said. “As a community bank you want to customize your approach and the advisory board gives guidance on community support and how to position ourselves.”

William Fishman, a Petaluma attorney and one of the nine appointed to the board, said one of the reasons he got involved with the Bank of Marin was because of his committment to community banking.

"I'm very impressed with how safe they are; they haven’t gotten wrapped up in bad loans," Fishman said. "They are a very strong community player, with no plans to be bought out." 

Elece Hempel, executive director of Petaluma People Services, is another appointee.

"Community banks are sometimes overlooked because the big banks can offer better discounts, but they are the ones that make our community so strong."