"This is the beginning of our entree into the Portland area market, where we will start by focusing on serving the needs of commercial real estate investors and developers," says Columbia Bancorp CEO/president Roger Christensen. "While Portland is competitive, it is a large, growing market with plenty of opportunity for another community bank."

The new loan office is temporarily located in the bank's Newberg, OR branch while a permanent location in the Portland metro area is located. To launch the new office, the company has hired Bonnie Fletcher, who has more than 30 years experience in the banking industry. Fletcher most recently was vice president and relationship manager for First Independent Bank of Vancouver. Prior to that, she was a VP of commercial lending at Umpqua Bank.

"Our plan has been to enter the Portland market only when the right person is available, and Bonnie is that right person," says Christensen. "She has a substantial book of business, approximately one third of which we have already vetted and will be added to our portfolio over the near term."