In the News

Collegiate Peaks Bank, a Division of Glacier Bancorp, providing financing to Hoedown Hill winter area

Fort Collins, CO (November 2023) – Collegiate Peaks Bank, Division of Glacier Bancorp, is pleased to announce that its Fort Collins office has provided $9,750,000 in financing to the new Hoedown Hill winter recreation area in Windsor.  The announcement follows the bank’s recent expansion into the Northern Colorado market.

“We’re very excited to provide the financing for this tremendous and unique venue in Northern Colorado,” said David Fritzler, Northern Colorado Regional President for Collegiate Peaks Bank.  “We have a tremendous team of banking professionals who are working closely with businesses throughout the region and helping them to achieve their goals.  And we’re honored to be associated with this project.  Northern Colorado is a strategic market for us, and combined with our longstanding presence in Denver, southern Colorado, and the mountain communities, we now have the opportunity to serve customers from Denver all the way to Wyoming.”

“To dream of and then actually pull off a wild vision like Hoedown Hill takes an incredibly creative and bold team, and the same goes for our lender, Collegiate Peaks Bank,” said Martin Lind, owner and President of the Water Valley Company.  “Our relationship and experience couldn’t have been better and to say they worked hard and creatively to find a solution for us is an understatement. We just can’t say enough about this fantastic lender and their willingness to listen then act.”

Hoedown Hill, a 12-acre sledding, tubing, skiing and snowboarding area, will open this year adjacent to the RainDance National Resort and Golf property in Windsor.  It will have four conveyor lifts, three of which are fully enclosed and enhanced with lights and audio. It will also offer 10 tubing lanes, including a nearly 1,200-foot-long run, skiing, snowboarding, a ski and ride school, MoonBikes and two ever-changing terrain parks. 

The site is being developed by the Water Valley Company, which also manages the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles, the 18-hole RainDance National Golf Course, and the 27-hole Pelican Lakes golf courses, along with various other retail, commercial and residential projects in the area.

Read the full article in Colorado Construction & Design Magazine.

As a division of Glacier Bank, Collegiate Peaks offers the best of many worlds.  It is a true community bank, operated locally in Colorado, that has the resources of a top 100 bank.  This provides the ability to take care of customers large, mid-size and small.  Whether the client is an individual, small or large business, municipality, non-profit, or a real estate developer, Collegiate Peaks Bank is here to serve them. 

Collegiate Peaks Bank is committed to supporting the communities it serves and has made it an important part of the company culture. The bank’s employees donate their time and effort to causes that help to build a strong community spirit and contribute to the success of the businesses, organizations and individuals around them.

Our Bank was founded in the mid 1980’s by a group of local Community Members in Buena Vista, Colorado. The Bank was acquired by Glacier Bancorp, Inc. on February 1, 2018. The bank is now a division of Glacier Bank, a regional bank holding.  Glacier Bank provides commercial banking services in 143 communities through 224 banking offices. 

Collegiate Peaks Bank continues to cultivate strong relationships within the communities we live and work by emphasizing personalized service combined with the full resources of a larger banking organization.

Glacier Bancorp, Inc. is headquartered in Kalispell, Montana with operating divisions including the Altabank (American Fork, UT), Bank of the San Juans (Durango, CO), Citizens Community Bank (Pocatello, ID), Collegiate Peaks Bank (Buena Vista, CO), First Bank of Montana (Lewistown, MT), First Bank of Wyoming (Powell, WY), First Community Bank Utah (Layton, UT), First Security Bank (Bozeman, MT), First Security Bank of Missoula (Missoula, MT), First State Bank (Wheatland, WY), Glacier Bank (Kalispell, MT), Heritage Bank of Nevada (Reno, NV), Mountain West Bank (Coeur d’Alene, ID), North Cascades Bank (Chelan, WA), The Foothills Bank (Yuma, AZ), Valley Bank of Helena (Helena, MT), and Western Security Bank (Billings, MT). Our bank serves individuals, small to medium-sized businesses, community organizations and public entities. We pursue a community banking philosophy, emphasizing personalized service combined with the full resources of a larger banking organization.

Denver, CO (October 2023) - Colorado-based Collegiate Peaks Bank, a division of Glacier Bancorp, is pleased to announce that the bank has donated $12,480 to six different charities in Colorado.  The charities are Chaffee County Search and Rescue North, Chaffee County Search and Rescue South, MENTOR Colorado, Howard Volunteer Fire Department, Chaffee County Habitat for Humanity and Denver Park Trust. 

“Our bank is very proactive in supporting the communities we serve, and the effort to raise money for local charities is a great testament to the caring spirit of our customers and employees,” said Liam Girard, President of Collegiate Peaks Bank.  “Our entire team makes a point of serving on Boards and as volunteers for charities and non-profits that can use a helping hand.  It’s an important part of our culture and something that we know helps better our local communities.”

Chaffee County Search and Rescue North is a non-profit, all volunteer organization operating under the direction of the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office. Their mission is to provide search and rescue services, as well as outdoor safety education, at no cost to the public.

Chaffee County Search and Rescue South is a 100% unpaid volunteer organization serving the southern portion of Chaffee County. Members have one thing in common, a desire to help others who are lost or hurt in the backcountry. They raise funding through the solicitation of donations from the public and fundraisers.

MENTOR Colorado has the goal to ensure every young person in Colorado will have a quality mentoring relationship. The organization is on a mission to transform the quality and significantly increase the quantity of mentoring relationships for Colorado's young people.

Howard Volunteer Fire Department's mission is to suppress fires, train and equip local residents as volunteer firefighters, educate the public in fire safety, assist the local ambulance service, provide a variety of community support services and provide mutual aid with local fire districts.

Chaffee County Habitat for Humanity has the mission of “Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope.” 

Denver Park Trust believes that every resident, in every neighborhood, deserves to be within walking or rolling distance of a high quality park.  Parks are an essential part of Denver, but some 70,000 residents, many low-income families with children, do not live within 10 minutes of a park.  The Denver Park Trust is working hard to change that in a thoughtful, equitable and sustainable way.

Charitable efforts were spread across the state and included nearly 2,000 hours of volunteer time

Denver, CO (October 2023) - Colorado-based Collegiate Peaks Bank, a division of Glacier Bancorp with locations in Denver, Chaffee County and Northern Colorado, is proud to announce that bank employees volunteered 1,092 ½ hours of time to 50 non-profit organizations and contributed $159,358 in donations and sponsorships to causes around Colorado in 2023.  This outstanding effort reflects the bank’s culture and commitment of giving back to the community.

“Our bank is very proactive in supporting the communities we serve, and the effort to raise money for local charities is a great testament to the caring spirit of our customers and employees,” said Liam Girard, President of Collegiate Peaks Bank.  “Our entire team makes a point of serving on Boards and as volunteers for charities and non-profits that can use a helping hand.  It’s an important part of our culture and something that we know helps better our local communities.”

Some of the many examples of the type of support organizations received from the Collegiate Peaks Bank (CPB) team include:

Junior Achievement:  Twenty-three CPB employees had 108 volunteer hours partnering with Junior Achievement – Rocky Mountain helping students from nine middle and high schools in the Finance Park and Dream Accelerator programs. 

Young Americans Center for Financial Education:  Thirty-four CPB employees had 79 volunteer hours through Young Americans Center for Financial Education, providing YouthBiz StartUp middle and high school students the ability to present their startup business ideas they worked throughout the year to put together. 

Ascent Program, Chaffee County EDC:  CPB is the Title Sponsor for the Chaffee County Economic Development Corporation’s (CCEDC) Ascent Program for a second straight year, promoting job creation and economic development in rural communities.

Additional organizations supported by Collegiate Peaks Bank include:

Chaffee County Search and Rescue North is a non-profit, all volunteer organization operating under the direction of the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office. Their mission is to provide search and rescue services, as well as outdoor safety education, at no cost to the public.

Chaffee County Search and Rescue South is a 100% unpaid volunteer organization serving the southern portion of Chaffee County. Members have one thing in common, a desire to help others who are lost or hurt in the backcountry. They raise funding through the solicitation of donations from the public and fundraisers.

MENTOR Colorado has the goal to ensure every young person in Colorado will have a quality mentoring relationship. The organization is on a mission to transform the quality and significantly increase the quantity of mentoring relationships for Colorado's young people.

Howard Volunteer Fire Department mission is to suppress fires, train and equip local residents as volunteer firefighters, educate the public in fire safety, assist the local ambulance service, provide a variety of community support services and provide mutual aid with local fire districts.

Chaffee County Habitat for Humanity has the mission of “Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope.” 

Denver Park Trust believes that every resident, in every neighborhood, deserves to be within walking or rolling distance of a high quality park.  Parks are an essential part of Denver, but some 70,000 residents, many low-income families with children, do not live within 10 minutes of a park.  The Denver Park Trust is working hard to change that in a thoughtful, equitable and sustainable way.

Chaffee County Early Childhood Council, serving prenatal through age 8, is a nonprofit working with many diverse community partners, including organizations, parents, professionals and individuals. CCECC works with the community to assess local early childhood needs, identify proven solutions, and access the resources required to embed these solutions into the ongoing work of community partners.

Sarah Romack, Director of the Chaffee County Early Childhood Council shared her gratitude: We cannot thank Collegiate Peaks Bank enough for this generous donation. As I am sure you know Chaffee County is considered a childcare desert, especially for infant and toddler care. CCECC is working on creating more childcare slots in our community by building capacity in existing centers and helping emerging providers open new childcare centers and family childcare homes. We plan to use these funds to support the early childhood professionals that currently work in our community and those that are trying to enter the field. By strengthening the early childhood workforce in Chaffee County, we will be able to ensure the creation of new childcare slots. These funds will help providers access things like early childhood mental health consultation and professional development, and also aid in the creation of an early childhood training program and county-wide substitute pool. 

Lindsey Cali, Executive Director of MENTOR Colorado said this: At MENTOR Colorado, our goal is clear: to ensure every young person in Colorado will have a quality mentoring relationship. We're on a mission to transform the quality and significantly increase the quantity of mentoring relationships for Colorado's young people.

Denver, CO (January 2023) - Colorado-based Collegiate Peaks Bank, a division of Glacier Bancorp, is pleased to announce that it is the title sponsor for the Chaffee County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) for a second straight year.  Working in partnership with Collegiate Peaks Bank, the CCEDC (www.chaffeecountyedc.com) promotes job creation and economic development in rural communities and has already established a strong presence in Chaffee County.

“Collegiate Peaks Bank strives to find innovative ways to help businesses and communities realize growth, profitability, and sustainability and our partnership with the CCEDC is another example of the many ways we make lasting positive impacts,” said Joe Smith, Mountain Regional President of Collegiate Peaks Bank.  “It’s critical for rural communities like Chaffee County to continue to find ways to achieve year-round, dynamic, and sustainable economies. The CCEDC is discovering ways to attract entrepreneurial minds and start-up businesses to places like Chaffee County and also find the investors necessary to help them thrive.”

Some of the focal points of the CCEDC include:

• Remote work as a new "growth industry" for rural America
• Entrepreneurship as a rural economic diversification strategy away from reliance on tourism
• Once in a generation opportunity for “Brain Gain” in rural communities, enabled by the Covid pandemic
• "Driven By Nature” - Creating economic opportunity by leveraging senses of place in mountain towns
• Sustainable mountain economies - The intersection of housing, workforce, and career opportunities (increased AMI = affordability)
• Impact entrepreneurship - Leveraging private sector company growth to address community challenges like sustainability, job creation, etc.
• Leveraging local investors to support local economic growth and career advancement
• A desire to create a model to guide or inspire other rural communities

In addition to the partnership with CCEDC, Collegiate Peaks Bank provides a suite of services to help businesses succeed even during the most challenging economic times.  Some of these services include:

• Payables and Receivables Management
• Liquidity Management
• Information Management
• Risk Management
• Business Loans

In recent months, Collegiate Peaks Bank’s parent company, Glacier Bank, was ranked eighth on Forbes’ list of America’s Best Banks for 2022.  Forbes’ 13th annual look at America’s Best Banks ranks the 100 largest publicly traded banks and thrifts based on their growth, credit quality and profitability (information regarding the rankings and methodology is available at www.forbes.com).