Bank of Santa Barbara is an innovative hometown bank. We have a dynamic staff of seasoned banking professionals and an active board of directors composed of area business leaders who take their roles seriously. Their referrals and advice about business and marketing opportunities make them true partners in every sense of the word.
Over the past year, Bank of Santa Barbara was involved in several successful projects with our strategic partners that generated positive publicity for the bank. Working closely with our partners, our creative team of local bankers is positioning the bank for continued growth and high performance.
| Signing on as a sponsor of the Santa Barbara Breakers was a marketing bonanza… |
Early in the year, we organized, sponsored and moderated a seminar on buying and selling businesses that was attended by 83 local entrepreneurs, including 30 business clients. This seminar helped us co-brand with our strategic partners and solidify our image as a bank that is nimble, cutting-edge and entrepreneurial.
In May, we partnered with legal, accounting and investment firms to host a client appreciation event for more than 250 people at the Arroyo Hondo Preserve. This was an excellent example of hosting an event with co-sponsors whose reputation and client reach in the community are significant and positive.
When the Santa Barbara Breakers debuted last March, Bank of Santa Barbara signed on as a sponsor of the professional basketball team. It was a marketing bonanza for the bank. The paid sponsorship made Bank of Santa Barbara “The Official Bank of the Breakers,” a designation that appeared in all Breakers’ ads and promotional material. We received publicity at the games, throughout the community and on the Web.
Reaffirming our community commitment, the bank began collaborating with the University of California, Santa Barbara to offer a series of for-credit educational seminars for first-year college students. Most of the students are from the Chumash Indian Nation, which is located just north of Santa Barbara.
During 2007, our team made contributions of time and money to 47 local nonprofit organizations, including the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History where we sponsored the ever popular Butterflies Alive exhibit.
Bank of Santa Barbara — we are more than a bank, we are Santa Barbara.
— Andy L. Clark, President