Exchange Bank celebrated its 130th birthday on May 1, reinforcing its stability, longevity and heritage in Sonoma County. The bank has been an intrinsic part of the community since its inception, and works hard to be a successful, principled and community involved financial institution that serves its customers and communities. Their vision statement is more than just a tagline: “We want to be your bank, making a difference in the communities we serve, to create a better future for generations to come.” And it has remained at the core of the company’s culture since father and son, Manville and Frank Doyle, co–founded the bank in 1890.
“Today, our products and services are no longer exclusively delivered through our branch network,” says Gary Hartwick, president and chief executive officer. “Customer expectations are evolving rapidly, and we must ensure our customers can bank through multiple channels whenever and wherever they choose. As digital technology transforms the banking industry, we see technology as a way to enhance—not replace—the personal and trusted relationship between our employees and customers. We could not accomplish our objectives without the effort and dedication of our employees who fully embrace a customer-centric service model.”
Exchange Bank offers a complete suite of consumer and business banking products and services. They are constantly looking into the marketplace to explore what services they can expand on and how to make their services beneficial to their customers. Branch banking continues to evolve—customers still enter the branch for complex financial needs and advice—but it’s moving to digital channels for basic transactions. Above all, the bank strives to make it easier for its customers to transact business and move money.
Exchange Bank differs from national and regional banks by investing 100 percent of its charitable giving in the communities it serves in Sonoma and Placer counties. In addition, 50.44 percent of the bank’s cash dividends go to the Doyle Trust, which funds the Doyle Scholarship at Santa Rosa Junior College. Since 1948, the Doyle Scholarship Fund has provided $90 million to more than 135,000 students.
“Exchange Bank is extremely proud to have served our community for 130 years,” says Hartwick. “One of our missions at Exchange Bank is our commitment to our local community. We maintain this commitment both collectively as an organization and individually in our employees’ commitment to making Sonoma County a better place to live and work. Our board members, executives and employees continually serve the community by providing countless hours of volunteer time and monetary support.”
Giving back to the communities in which they serve continues to be a cornerstone of the Exchange Bank culture. The bank employees (which today number 410) collectively volunteer more than 4,000 hours every year to support local charitable and civic organizations. Employees receive paid time off to participate in a long list of community and non-profit events, including Teen City: Rebuilding Together; United Way’s Day of Caring; the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life; and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk. In 2019, Exchange Bank employees personally raised more than $130,000 through a variety of fundraising efforts. Employees are also given time off to serve on boards of local nonprofits and to share leadership talents that benefit the community.
“For the past 25 years, the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County has named Exchange Bank the corporate fundraising champion for the Human Race,” says Hartwick. “Our customer focus and commitment to our community resulted in many accolades in 2019. We are proud to report that Exchange Bank was recognized as one of Sonoma County’s ‘Best Places to Work’ for the 14th consecutive year. We were also recognized as ‘Best Local Bank,’ ‘Best Business and Consumer Bank’ and one of Sonoma County’s ‘Healthiest Places to Work.’ In 2019, we were also a recipient of a ‘Community Philanthropy Award.’” With all those accolades, it’s no surprise Exchange Bank is the Best Consumer Bank for 2020, in a tradition of excellence that started more than a century ago and continues to this day.
