Bank of the West Marks over a Decade of Sponsoring the Albuquerque Isotopes

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., May 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of the West announced today that it is a continuing sponsor of the Albuquerque Isotopes, the Triple-A baseball affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The bank has sponsored the team every year since it moved to Albuquerque in 2003.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120418/MM90603LOGO)

"From our earliest days as a community bank, our commitment to being a good corporate neighbor has never wavered," said Mike Lowrimore, senior vice president and New Mexico's regional manager for Bank of the West. "One of the ways we show our community engagement is through our sponsorships. What better way to celebrate our community than by supporting a great American tradition and our hometown team – the Albuquerque Isotopes. We're looking forward to joining all the fans at Isotopes Park this season."

An enthusiastic supporter of sports and community events in and around Albuquerque, the bank also sponsors the University of New Mexico Athletics, the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, and local nonprofit organizations. Over the past three years in New Mexico, Bank of the West has provided 1,100 loans to small business entrepreneurs and awarded more than 200 grants to nonprofit organizations in support of community development, education and job training, health and human services, and the arts.

During Bank of the West Day on June 2, Scott Czarniak, vice president at Bank of the West, will throw out the first pitch of the game. Scott is an Albuquerque native and grew up playing baseball and attending Albuquerque Dukes games as a kid.

"All these years growing up in Albuquerque and I never once caught a foul ball at a Dukes or Isotopes game! It won't be much of a heater, but just standing on the pitcher's mound at Isotopes Park in my hometown is going to be one of the biggest thrills of my life," said Scott.

Beyond his love for baseball, Scott is an active member of the Albuquerque community and serves on the boards of the Children's Cancer Fund of New Mexico, the Carrie Tingley Hospital Foundation and the State of New Mexico Real Estate Appraisers Board.

Fun Facts About the Albuquerque Isotopes

• Minor League Baseball was founded in 1901 with 14 leagues and 96 clubs.
• Today, Minor League Baseball encompasses 243 teams in 19 leagues in the United States, Canada, Japan, Mexico and other Latin American countries.
• More than 41.2 million fans attended Minor League Baseball in 2012, drawing more fans than the NBA or NFL. 
• In 2012, the Isotopes' total attendance was 568,417, an average of 8,120 fans per game. The Isotopes are among the best-attended teams in the Pacific Coast League.
• The Isotopes are the AAA team of the Los Angeles Dodgers, which has seven Minor League teams ranging from the Isotopes to Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts, two Class A teams, and three Rookie teams.  From 2003 to 2008 the Isotopes were the Triple-A affiliate of the Florida Marlins.
• In 1985 the Salt Lake City Gulls moved to Canada and were renamed the Calgary Cannons.  The team relocated to New Mexico in 2003 and was renamed the Albuquerque Isotopes, a nod to a 2001 Simpsons episode entitled "Hungry, Hungry Homer," where the Springfield Isotopes threaten to move to Albuquerque until Homer goes on a hunger strike, ultimately preventing the team from moving. 
• The Isotopes team mascot is Orbit.
• The Isotopes' most visible fans are Homer Simpson and the fictional Walter White from the TV program Breaking Bad.

About Bank of the West

Founded in 1874, $62 billion-asset Bank of the West (www.bankofthewest.com), member FDIC and equal housing lender, offers a full range of personal, commercial, wealth management and international banking services. The bank operates more than 600 retail and commercial banking locations in 19 Western and Midwestern states. Bank of the West is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, which has a presence in 80 countries with nearly 200,000 employees.

SOURCE Bank of the West