A6
BUSINESS
Wallowa County Chieftain
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Bank merger refreshes local man’s ties
BIZZ
BUZZ
By Bill Bradshaw
ENTERPRISE — When
Umpqua Bank in Enterprise
merges with Columbia Bank
next year, it won’t be just a
corporate merger; an Enter-
prise native will be at the
helm.
In fact, Clint Stein already
is the president and CEO of
Columbia Bank, and while
his career has taken him
away from Wallowa County,
he stays in touch.
“I keep track of what’s
going on in Wallowa
County,” he said in a tele-
phone interview Wednesday,
Oct. 20, from Tacoma, where
Columbia Bank’s headquar-
ters are.
Stein said he is still in
contact with some from
his growing-up years. He
recalls teachers and coaches
who are still here and was
pleased to see the return of
Tom Crane as interim super-
intendent. Crane was Stein’s
junior high basketball coach
in the mid-1980s.
“They taught you how to
work hard but (were) sup-
portive at the same time,”
he said. “When you’re con-
nected to Wallowa County,
it’s nice to see people who
were part of your life years
ago.”
He also recalled people
who have stayed here and
prospered, such as Lance
Homan,
superintendent
of Joseph Charter School.
Homan was a freshman
when Stein was a senior in
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Customers go through the drive-thru window at the Umpqua
Bank in Enterprise on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021. Next year,
Umpqua will merge with Columbia Bank.
UMPQUA BANK
What: Merging with Columbia Bank
Where: 205 W Main St., Enterprise
Phone: 541-426-3124
Online: www.umpquabank.com
neighbors. Small-town val-
ues continue to drive me
and how we lead the bank
today. ”
The bank
Clint Stein/Contributed Photo
The Stein family, from left, are Brendan, Julie, Rhett and Clint. Clint Stein, originally from
Enterprise, is CEO and president of Columbia Bank, which is merging with Umpqua Bank. He
and Julie both got their banking starts in Enterprise.
high school.
“It’s nice to see someone
go from being a kid to being
a leader in the community,”
Stein said.
A native
Stein was born in Enter-
prise, while his wife, the for-
mer Julie Findley, was born
in Newberg and moved to
Lostine at 4 years old. They
both graduated from Enter-
prise High School, Stein in
1990 and Julie in 1992.
They have two sons, one
in college and the other a
junior in high school.
After college, Stein
returned to Enterprise. He
worked for several certi-
fi ed public accountants and
eventually became a CPA.
Julie got her start in bank-
ing at what was then Pioneer
Bank — the building that
now houses Umpqua Bank.
“That’s the building
where she started her bank-
ing career and it’s where I
had my fi rst bank account as
a kid,” he said.
Stein was encouraged to
enter banking by John Bai-
ley, who worked at a local
bank. He left Enterprise in
2005, but hasn’t forgotten
what he learned here.
“It’s a great place to grow
up. I enjoyed it as a kid and
when I came back from col-
lege and started my work
career,” Stein said. “I think
the lessons you learn in a
small town have served me
well. … A town like Enter-
prise, there’s no anonymity.
You’re accountable to your
According to the Colum-
bia Bank website, on Oct.
11, the bank’s board of direc-
tors approved the agree-
ment to combine Columbia
and Umpqua banks. Stein
said that it will take several
months to complete the state
and federal regulatory pro-
cesses and receive approval
for the merger.
“We’re anticipating some-
time the middle of next year,”
he said. “That’s kind of our
target.”
He said he anticipates lit-
tle change in the Enterprise
bank. The sign won’t change
and there aren’t likely to be
any job losses. If anything,
Umpqua Bank will off er
more. He said he anticipates
& Skylight
Gallery
the merger with Columbia
will allow Umpqua to off er
additional banking products
and services.
“In terms of impact in
what you’ll see in Wallowa
County, you’ll see very lit-
tle,” he said. “What you see
in Enterprise will be Umpqua
Bank.”
Ever the banker, Stein is
eager for the merger to take
place.
“I’m excited about the
entire combination,” he
said. “We’re the two pre-
mier banking franchises
in the Northwest. … I’m
excited about the Enterprise
location because that’s my
hometown.”
——
Bill Bradshaw is a
reporter for the Wallowa
County Chieftain. Have a
business tip? Contact him
at 541-398-5503 or bbrad-
shaw@wallowa.com.
Church
Directory
Finding books is
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CLUES ACROSS
1. Goals
5. Sound of disgust
8. Worshipper of Jah
13. Seemingly emotionless
sort
15. Born as
16. Shining
17. Paul, in Italy
18. Get busy, as a bee
20. Pointless
22. Rich
23. Moral trajectory that bends
toward justice, per Martin
Luther King Jr.
25. “The end is ___!”
27. Conan’s network until 2021
28. Henhouse perches
30. As high as
32. Tito Puente’s “___
Como Va”
35. Have a cow?
36. (May I have some milk?)
37. Infuriate
38. French for “love”
39. Make up one’s mind
40. Wedding attendee
42. Comfy room
43. Voiced
45. Way to serve pastrami
46. Dreyer’s partner in
ice cream
47. Civil rights activist Baker
48. Masthead title
49. Prefix with “angle” or
“cycle”
50. Dog’s space to exercise
52. Fifth-century nomad
53. Dealt with bumps in
the road?
57. Oreo filling
59. “Almost ready!”
61. Skewered meat dish
64. Negative person
65. “C’mon, be a ___!”
66. Bicycle wheel part
67. Score that beats a birdie
68. Period of note
69. Lovers’ quarrel
Joseph United
Methodist Church
Grace Lutheran
Church
3rd & Lake St. • Joseph
409 West Main - Enterprise
10 AM Worship
Online AND In Person
SUNDAY
WORSHIP
For More Info
541-432-3102
JosephUMC.ORG
at 9am
Pastor Cherie Dearth
Pastor John B. King Jr
phone (message): 541-426-4633
web: gracelutheranenterprise.com
Enterprise
Christian Church
St.
St. Patrick’s
Patrick’s
Episcopal
Episcopal Church
Church
85035 Joseph Hwy • (541) 426-3449
We have ‘In-person worship” @ 9:00 am
(Guidelines observed)
Sunday School at 10:30
Parking Lot Radio/Facebook @ 9:00
100 NE 3rd St, Enterprise
NE 3rd & Main St
541-426-3439
Worship Service
Sunday 9:30am
David Bruce
Pastor, Enterprise Christian Church
Lostine
Presbyterian Church
Summit Church
Discussion Group 9:30 AM
Worship Service 11:00 AM
at the Cloverleaf Hall in Enterprise
Childrens program during service
Blog: dancingforth.blogspot.com
CLUES DOWN
1. Snake that bit Cleopatra
2. “Let’s call ___ day”
3. *Fictional lunar settlement
4. Farm storage spot
5. Remove, as a wooden pin
6. Start to cache?
7. Leader’s metaphorical spot
8. *Iris, in Greek myth
9. French New Wave director Varda
10. Kill it, in drag lingo
11. Bag at a bookstore
12. Truly impressed
14. *Fast-casual restaurants offer it
19. Ball game?
21. Palindromic sib
23. Place to play “Street Fighter”
24. Meandered
26. *Work week’s midpoint
29. Crime show starring Ice-T,
for short
31. Dog or guinea pig
32. Wildly exaggerated, or a hint to
two words that can precede each
starred answer’s start
33. Response to “Who, me?”
34. Medical student at a hospital, e.g.
39. “Black gold”
41. Sea urchin in sushi
44. Being from another planet
48. Go astray
49. Language spoken in Sri Lanka
51. High-speed Amtrak train
53. Arborio or basmati
54. “Orinoco Flow” singer
55. Sudden feeling of guilt
56. Scam artist’s victim
58. Atlas contents
60. Roofing material
62. T’Challa, ___ Black Panther
63. As of today
107 E. Main • Enterprise • 541-426-3351
www.bookloftoregon.com
Sundays at 10 am
Pastor: David Pendleton
541.398.0597
Hwy 82, Lostine
www.summitchurchoregon.org
Stephen Kliewer, Minister
Cloverleaf Hall • 668 NW 1st St. • Enterprise, OR 97828
Wallowa
Assembly
of God
702 West Hwy 82
Wallowa, Oregon
541-886-8445
Sunday School • 9:am
Worship Service • 10:am
Pastor Tim Barton
Visit Us on
Christ Covenant
Church
Pastor Terry Tollefson
Church Office: 541-263-0505
Family Prayer - 9 AM
Sunday School - 9:30 AM
Worship - 10:30 AM
723 College Street, Lostine
Seventh-Day Adventist
Church & School
Enterprise Community
Congregational Church
305 Wagner (near the Cemetery)
P.O. Box N. Enterprise, OR 97828
Church 541-426-3751
School 541-426-8339
Pastor David Ballard 503-810-9886
Join us at the
BIG BROWN CHURCH
Worship Hour
10:30 a.m. - Noon
Sunday Worship 11:00 am
Bible Studies:
Sundays 9:30 am
301 NE First St. • Enterprise, OR
Find us on Facebook! 541.426.3044