Circle Bank has been voted Best Company to Do Business with in Marin County in the 2011 NorthBay biz
readers poll.
When NorthBay biz contacted Circle Bank for an interview with President/CEO Kim Kaselionis, it quickly became evident why business customers selected it the best company to do business with in Marin County. Although we had an appointment, we had to wait until she was finished talking with a customer!
“One of the reasons I think we’ve been voted Best Company is because, when necessary, we adjust our schedules to talk or meet with customers when they need it,” Kaselionis says as she apologizes for the short delay.
This is the second time the privately held financial institution, with $300 million in assets and six branches in the Bay Area, has won the county’s top business honor, having been so recognized in 2007 as well.
“What separates us from others is that we resonate with people. We listen and we engage with our customers, our employees and our communities,” Kaselionis says. It’s a formula that obviously works. When Kaselionis started with the bank back in 1996, it was a troubled institution with only $11 million in assets. Today, it ranks 33rd out of 243 financial institutions in California.
While other banks struggled during the recession, Circle Bank “navigated safely through the economic difficulty,” Kaselionis says. “We’ve been able to continue to lend the last 15 years. We never stopped lending.
“We’re here when the community needs us. When the state issued IOUs, we accepted them so our customers’ lives would be less impacted. We look for creative solutions that work for all constituents.”
Business-friendly Circle Bank offers free business checking and has created several micro loan programs, including a special women’s initiative to provide financing to entrepreneurial women in underserved markets who traditionally don’t have access to capital. It also provides free courier service. And throw out the jokes about “banker’s hours.” Circle Bank’s San Francisco and Corte Madera branches are open on Sunday and all branches have extended Saturday hours. It even opens at 8:30 a.m. to make it easier for local retailers to conduct their banking before they open for business, a major convenience factor.
But it’s the people of Circle Bank and their “unwavering commitment” to the customer that seals the deal, in Kaselionis’ opinion. “Eighty-seven percent of our employees have college degrees, which provides a highly educated staff as a resource for our business customers,” she explains. “And many of them aren’t bankers by training. Our Petaluma branch manager was a business owner, for example. We have several who were in investment management and real estate management. Our people have a unique perspective as to the needs of our customers because there’s another businessperson on the other side of the table.”
“Our people are friendly and there to help. I want to do business with companies where I like the people—where they smile, are helpful, take time to listen and are a good resource. This is our company philosophy and that’s the kind of people we attract: people who like people,” Kaselionis explains. “I love being in a position to enrich the lives of others—where we can vent, talk, cry, share, laugh and raise money. It feels good to do good.”
Making a difference is an important part of the Circle Bank mantra. “If I were to use one word to summarize what Circle Banks is, it would be ‘advocate,’” says Kaselionis. The bank exercises its advocacy efforts on several levels, including for its customers, its community and its industry.
Circle Bank sponsored a $1 million grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank to help Homeward Bound expand its vocational training center in Novato (the organization educates temporarily homeless people and provides them with skills to make them more employable). “It was an important issue and has significant impact on our community,” Kaselionis says.
And the bank is no shrinking violet when it comes to advocacy work in the banking industry, either, frequently lobbying in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., pushing for the right for community banks to make loans in their communities. “We [community banks] have been the workhorse throughout the economic crisis, because we’re the ones lending,” Kaselionis explains.
In addition to its strong focus on customer service, commitment to excellence and dedication to providing superior banking products, Circle Bank also subscribes to the age-old, “neighbor helping neighbor” notion.
“We’ll give preference to businesses that do business with us. We use the printers who bank with us. When we buy flowers, we buy from the florists who are our clients. When I buy clothing, I buy from those shops who do business with us,” Kaselionis says.
And when it comes to voting for the best company to do business with in Marin County, those customers obviously reciprocate!
