CB&T’s personal approach attracts long-time clients
A bank for
all ages and stages
BY DEBRA GELBART
C ALIFORNIA BANK & TRUST has earned the appreciation and confidence of many long- time customers. When the bank combined predecessor institutions and incorporated in 1998, more than a few customers came along, and have remained CB&T clients for decades. Here are some of their stories. A customer for 60 years John Guthrie opened a checking account in 1964 at the Claremont branch of what later became
After a successful career at General Dynamics as an engineer from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s, Guthrie changed direction and went to work for Flight Systems Inc. in Orange County. “Developing new weapons systems was in a state of flux at that time,” says his daughter, Kari. “So my father decided to leave that industry while it was still his choice.” Six decades ago, Guthrie found his bank for life at the Claremont branch. His banker, Lori Duran, has been working with Guthrie since 2012. Until a few years ago, Duran says Guthrie would come into the branch almost every Friday to do his banking, dressed in a jacket and suit pants, and ready to offer chocolate mints to the staff. “He would tell us all about what he had done that day and what he planned to do in the coming days,” she says. “He especially appreciated our teller, Helen Mitsui, who retired at the end of 2023.” A resident of Pomona, Guthrie says he’s always appreciated the personal service and “the fact that they know me there and their efficiency. Why would I change banks when the service is so great there?” Off to an early start Part of Tracy Zemke’s success as a San Diego entrepreneur can be attributed to her comfort level with financial responsibility from a very early age. When she was nine years old, she opened a
California Bank & Trust, and has been a customer ever since. At 101 years old, Guthrie has had an impressive career. A graduate of Carnegie
Tech, the precursor to Carnegie Mellon
University, he worked as an engineer during World War II. While stationed near a military
aircraft control tower in the vicinity of the English Channel, he instructed pilots of badly damaged airplanes how to safely land their planes. He also co- invented the Stinger, a shoulder-fired, heat-seeking missile that is still in use today.
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IN YOUR CORNER ISSUE 16 | 2024
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