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LIA RODRIGUEZ, left, community banking district manager for Wells Fargo Bank, and Kevin Barri, senior vice president of community banking, check out some business information at the Wells Fargo in Folsom. Democrat photo by Mike Bush
Wells Fargo Bank has been helping small businesses go far since the mid-1800s and that dedication to supporting local economies earned the financial institution a special award.
Last year, Kevin Barri, senior vice-president of community banking for Wells Fargo in Folsom, and Wells Fargo gave the Community Economic Development Association of Pollock Pines a $2,500 grant to use toward local businesses.
Barri has worked with Jeanne Harper, executive director of CEDAPP, for the past four years.
Wells Fargo has contributed grants to small businesses around the United States back when the stagecoach was a mainstay of the transportation system and there were stage stops throughout El Dorado County.
Because of its contribution to help Pollock Pines small businesses, Barri and Wells Fargo were awarded CEDAPP’s Best Community Service award at the fourth annual Business and Community Awards event at Apple Mountain Golf Resort in Pollock Pines.
“We want to be involved in helping to support organizations, driving small business and giving that hope to our small business customers to take that risk to try to grow and become successful in our economy,” Barri said.
“I think it’s easy to say that community service is just giving dollars, and I don’t think that’s what community service is. It’s actually giving your time, your effort, your commitment to try to help the community better itself. That can be through a lot of different means — reaching out to the homeless, the hungry. It’s really about leveraging your own skills you bring to the table to help the community grow,” Barri said.
“Jeanne is a very pro-active in Pollock Pines,” Barri said. “She’s done a real good job of encouraging others to be involved in supporting the small business community.”
Barri has lived in El Dorado County since 1995. He lived in Cameron Park and then moved to El Dorado Hills to be closer to his office, although his job has him traveling throughout the Sacramento region.
One of the current Wells Fargo TV commercials showing someone starting a business in the 1970s to 1980s and still standing strong today is what CEDAPP wants to see Pollock Pines businesses have each year, according to Barri. The goal for Wells Fargo is to assist small businesses as much as possible with little fanfare.
“We are always excited when we get that recognition but that’s not our goal,” Barri said.
What’s exciting for Barri is ensuring the businesses are successful and seeing success from groups like CEDAPP.
Contact Mike Bush at 530-344-5079 or mbush@mtdemocrat.net. Follow @MBushMtDemo on Twitter.
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