LAKEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FirstBank, Colorado’s second largest bank and one of the largest privately held banks in the nation, today announced CEO John Ikard and President Dave Baker are retiring after 17 years in their current leadership roles and 35 years of experience with the organization. Both Ikard and Baker will remain on FirstBank’s board of directors and contribute to the ongoing success of the organization.
The board elected Jim Reuter as CEO, Ron Tilton as President, and Emily Robinson as Chief Operating Officer (COO). All three have served on FirstBank’s executive leadership team. Their appointments will be effective Feb. 1, 2017.
“On behalf of the board I sincerely thank John and Dave for their valuable contributions throughout their careers with FirstBank,” said Larry Hauserman, Chairman of the Board. “Under their guidance, FirstBank will close 2016 with record growth and earnings. We are excited they’ll continue to provide direction and support the organization.”
“It has been an honor to lead FirstBank as CEO and be an active leader in the community, but there is a time and season for everything,” said John Ikard. “I am truly confident as Dave and I pass the reins to the new leadership team they will continue to build on the success FirstBank has experienced over the past 53 years.”
Prior to his promotion to CEO, Jim Reuter served as FirstBank’s COO and has been instrumental in many of the bank’s products and IT innovations over the years. He started with FirstBank in 1987.
“Jim’s experience adapting and guiding technology innovations for the bank, in a quickly evolving industry, makes him a natural choice for CEO,” added Hauserman. “We know with Jim at the helm, FirstBank will continue to be a successful organization that values its customers and communities.”
“I am honored to be named CEO of such a reputable and wonderful organization,” said Jim Reuter. “Dave and John have done a stellar job propelling FirstBank to be among the top performing banks in the nation. My goal is to continue steering FirstBank down that same path.”
As the newly appointed President, Ron Tilton will oversee business lending and development and continue to be actively involved in the greater Denver business community. Prior to this promotion, Tilton, who’s been with FirstBank for more than 30 years, was a Regional President for the Denver and Colorado Mountain markets.
Emily Robinson previously served as Regional President of the Northwest Denver and California markets. As the newly elected COO, Robinson will lead the retail operations for FirstBank. She started her career with FirstBank in 1993.
“FirstBank is an outstanding company with talented employees and these management changes will enable us to continue being a premier bank in Colorado,” said Dave Baker. “17 years is a long time to lead an organization and we’re ready to pass the baton to our colleagues, who’ve already made substantial impacts on FirstBank’s financial performance and community involvement efforts.”
As of Sept. 30, FirstBank reported total assets of $16.6 billion, an increase of 10.4 percent from the same time last year. FirstBank now ranks as the third largest privately held bank in the country and is recognized as the second most philanthropic company in the state.
About FirstBank
FirstBank operates more than 120 locations in Colorado, Arizona and California. FirstBank is the largest locally owned banking organization in Colorado, serving more than 700,000 customers. Since 2000, FirstBank has contributed more than $55 million and thousands of volunteer hours to charitable organizations. FirstBank is unique in that a majority of its stock is owned by management and employees. For more information, go to www.efirstbank.com.
