Plumas Bank has Preferred Lender status with the Small Business Administration (SBA) and currently lends in nine states. Established in 2007, the SBA lending team has earned a remarkable success rate thanks to business development officers whose deep experience and extra effort stand out in the industry.

“Throughout our 18 years, 98% of the time when we pre-qualify a deal, it gets approved.”— Robert Porter, Senior Vice President 

In 2008, Plumas Bank welcomed Kelley Cheney and Robert Porter to the SBA team and they are still driving the bank’s business loan success today. Cheney, senior vice president and SBA sales manager, oversees the team from the bank’s Auburn office, sharing a wall with Porter, senior vice president and business development officer. 

“To be with a bank, especially in a sales role, for 18 years is extraordinary,” notes Cheney. “Bob and I started with Plumas Bank about six months apart in 2008 and had known each other through the banking world in our previous employment. In those early days, the SBA division was very small and we were hired specifically for our lending experience and ability to help it grow. We learned to work together and have been a team now for nearly two decades.” 

Headquartered in Reno, Plumas Bank has grown to about $2 billion in assets and, since its inception, the small business lending team has funded more than $800 million in SBA loans. The team focuses primarily on business acquisitions, marketing to business brokers, but also handles commercial real estate purchases, equipment purchases, debt refinancing and business expansions. 

“We don’t just bring loans in, but also do financial analyses to be sure they will be good fits for the bank and successful,” says Porter. “We are the front line of analyzing every loan’s potential and that it makes financial sense before it goes to the underwriters. Throughout our 18 years, 98% of the time when we pre-qualify a deal, it gets approved.”

Looking ahead, Plumas Bank looks to expand its lending footprint, taking the SBA division into other states and ultimately nationwide. “That will mean hiring business development officers, underwriters and closers to support the expansion for optimum efficiency,” says Cheney. “Having the right people with the right knowledge in place will lead to further success.”

Learn more at plumasbank.com/SBAteam.