The past year was a memorable one primarily because we completed the consolidation and relocation of our business into a historic building we believe is the premier banking facility in the heart of downtown Albuquerque. Located on legendary Route 66, the building’s construction coincided with the birth of the “Mother Road.” Starting in Chicago and ending in Los Angeles, Route 66 symbolized the “road to opportunity” and our building has stood as the landmark for banking in Albuquerque for many years.
| Located on legendary Route 66, our building has stood as the landmark for banking in Albuquerque for many years. |
We believe the relocation of Sunrise Bank of Albuquerque increases our visibility, enhances our image and provides the foundation for future growth based on relationship banking.
Relationship banking is the essential ingredient for any successful community bank and a fundamental component for our continued success. We will continue to recruit bank board members and seasoned bankers who understand this philosophy and can bring quality relationships to our bank. This strategy paid dividends last year as we saw significant growth and increased quality in our loan portfolio. Our challenge going forward will be to build a larger deposit base. To that end, we have attracted bankers with the experience and energy to replicate the success we enjoyed last year in lending.
We remain committed to giving back to the community we serve with both time and money and that commitment increased last year. For the third consecutive year, we reported 100 percent employee participation in the United Way of Central New Mexico campaign, with a healthy increase in total contributions. We also provided support to many other worthy organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central New Mexico, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, The Food Pantry and Bernalillo County 4-H.
Moving to a historically significant landmark is not about looking back. It is about looking forward because we understand we are creating history each day. Our goal is to be the best community bank in Albuquerque. This is history in the making.
— Steven A. Marcum, President & CEO