Oregon Bankers Association Inducts Bill Castle and Lonnie Iholts into Hall of Fame

SALEM, Ore., July 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Oregon Bankers Association (OBA) inducted South Valley Bank & Trust's Bill Castle and Siuslaw Bank's Lonnie Iholts into the Oregon Bankers Hall of Fame during its recent 105th Anniversary Convention held at Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, OR. This honor recognizes the outstanding contributions that these individuals have made to the Oregon banking industry, their communities, and the state of Oregon.

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Castle began his career in banking in 1975 after graduating from Oregon State University. In 1977, he moved back closer to home, joining First Interstate Bank of Oregon in Medford, where he served as vice president and business banking center manager until 1990. After graduating with honors from Pacific Coast Banking School in 1989, he moved on to serve as senior vice president and credit administrator at Western Bank in Coos Bay.

In 1993, Castle made his way closer to his hometown, settling in Klamath Falls where he served as executive vice president and chief credit officer until 1998, at which time he became president and chief executive officer of South Valley Bank & Trust.

Castle has played a vital and committed role in the communities in which he has lived and worked. He has served on the boards of the Ross Ragland Theater and the Oregon Small Business Development Centers. Since 1993, Castle has served on and has been past chairman of the Klamath County Chamber of Commerce and the Klamath County Economic Development Association. He is currently a member of the Oregon Institute of Technology President's Advisory Council, the Ragland Rife Foundation Board of Trustees, and the Klamath County Rotary Club. Notably, Castle extends his own commitment to community service to all bank employees, encouraging and supporting their own volunteer service.

Castle served as a member of the OBA board of directors from 1998 – 2007 and as chairman in 2005-2006. He currently serves as a board member of the Independent Community Banks of Oregon, the OBA's sister association.

Reflecting on Castle's character and contributions to his community and industry, Linda Navarro, president and CEO of the OBA, said, "Bill's many contributions to the Oregon banking industry and his community make him the ideal inductee into our organization's hall of fame."

After graduating from the University of Oregon in 1971, Iholts began his banking career at Siuslaw Bank -- the same bank where he still works today. He was in the first graduating class of the Northwest Intermediate Banking School, and is also a graduate of the Pacific Coast Bankers School. Iholts currently serves as president of Siuslaw Bank, as well as secretary of Siuslaw Financial Group.

Iholts' community involvement is impressive. He was one of the Florence Kiwanis Foundation organizers in 1983, and he has continued to be a dynamic member of this service organization, holding a wide variety of leadership positions over the years, including chairman, president, director, treasurer, Pacific Northwest District Lt. Governor and even Duck Race chairman.

Notably, Iholts was responsible for establishing the Florence Kiwanis Foundation Flag Program in 2001. This program displays over 480 flags on city streets on holidays and raises over $13,000 annually for the Kiwanis Foundation to be used for their annual grant program. This program has become one of immense community pride.

Iholts also serves as treasurer of the Siuslaw Pioneer Museum and in the past served on the Florence City Council, the City of Florence Budget Committee, as Pearl Harbor Foundation Director, and as a Boy Scout Merit Badge Counselor. In recognition of his vast service, Iholts was Florence's First Citizen in 1997.

Iholts understands the importance of not only serving his bank and his community, but also of serving the banking industry as a whole. For 10 years, from 1989-1999, he served on the board of directors of the Oregon Bankers Association Insurance Agency, which merged with another entity to become what is BancSource today. Since 2005, he has also been a Trustee on the board of the Northwest Financial Association Benefit Plan and Trust. Presently, Iholts is serving as vice chair of the Independent Community Banks of Oregon and will assume the role of chairman in 2012. Iholts was also recently elected to the board of the Independent Community Banks of America.

"Lonnie Iholts exemplifies what it means to be a community banker. He is a man respected and admired in his community and by his peers and colleagues," said Linda Navarro.

Since its creation in 1987, the OBA's Hall of Fame has inducted 68 Oregon Bankers who have made outstanding contributions to the Oregon banking community and communities where they live and work.

About The Oregon Bankers Association

Established in 1905, the Oregon Bankers Association is Oregon's only full-service trade association representing state and national commercial banks, thrifts and savings banks chartered to do business in Oregon. More information is available at www.oregonbankers.com.

SOURCE Oregon Bankers Association