Western Heritage Bank is pleased to announce that it has expanded its board of directors in Las Cruces. New members of the board are Scott Bannister, Dr. Bishnu Rauth, Ralph Richards, Dr. Paul Saiz, and Dr. Mario Samaniego.
“We welcome the new additions to our board of directors. Each of them brings a wealth of experience and great value to our organization as we continue to expand Western Heritage Bank,” said Jim Volk, Chairman.
Current board members, Stormy Adams, Dr. Joe Aday, and Jim Hill, will continue to serve. Also serving on the board is Western Heritage Bank President and CEO, Greg Cory.
Stormy L. Adams
Mr. Adams has 30 years of experience in the agricultural industry and is President and Chief Executive Office of Shiloh Produce, Inc., a privately-held local agricultural produce marketing company with agricultural crop investments in New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Mr. Adams is also President of AA Chile, Inc., a privately-held local agricultural red chile processing company. He is a Co-managing Partner of TJZ Farms, LLC, Black Mountain Farms, LLC, and Sunset Farms, LLC.
B. Joe Aday D.D.S.
Dr. Aday has been with B. Joe Aday Orthodontics in Las Cruces, New Mexico since 1979. He is a current member of the following organizations: Southwest District Dental Society (S.W.D.D.S.); New Mexico Dental Association (N.M.D.A.); American Dental Association (A.D.A.); Rocky Mountain Society of Orthodontists (R.M.S.O.); New Mexico Association of Orthodontists (N.M.A.O.); American Orthodontic Association (A.O.A.); and the Aggie Sports Association. Dr. Aday has previously served on the board of the following organizations: Presidents Associates N.M.S.U.; First Park Bank Shares; State National Bank; and Compass Bank.
Scott Bannister
Mr. Bannister, a local entrepreneur, currently serves as Managing Partner and Director of Amistad Family Services, a non-profit company that offers counseling services to individuals and families in the Las Cruces community. He also serves as Managing Partner at Charlottes Place Preschool, as well as two state-funded Head Start Programs in Las Cruces and Sunland Park. Since 2000, Mr. Bannister has been involved in land development. He opened and operated Santa Fe Grill in 1997 until its sale in 2008. Mr. Bannister has also established Creative Foods of the Southwest, which encompassed owning and operating a USDA-inspected manufacturing facility from 2001 until its sale in 2009. He attended New Mexico State University where he studied business management and marketing.
Greg Lee Cory
In February 2017, Mr. Cory was elected to the Boards of Directors of New Mexico First Financial and Western Heritage Bank and appointed to serve as the President and Chief Executive Officer of both entities. From 2008 to 2015, he served as a Senior Vice President and Regional President for Southwest Securities, FSB’s New Mexico and West Texas markets. Prior to that time, Mr. Cory served with State National Bank (now known as BBVA Compass) for nearly 30 years, serving in such roles as Community President, Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer. He serves or has served in leadership positions for various other organizations, including the following: Board President, Ruidoso Municipal School District; Board Member, Finance Chair, Help End Abuse for Life (HEAL); Board Member, Past-President, Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary Club of Ruidoso; Board Member, Table of Plenty; Board Member, Village of Ruidoso Cemetery Board; Member, Insurance Committee, Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces; Former Mayor Pro Tem, Council Member, Village of Ruidoso, New Mexico; Past President, Board Member, Ruidoso Valley Chamber of Commerce; Past Chairman, Ruidoso Art Festival; Founding Board Member, Community Foundation of Lincoln County; Past Board Member, Ruidoso Valley Economic Development Corporation. Mr. Cory is a graduate of the BBVA USA School of Economic Management at the University of Texas at Austin.
James W. Hill
Mr. Hill is President of Hill Farms and was a Mesilla Valley Farmer from 1967-2016. From 2003-2008, he was the owner and operator of Case International Harvester, a tractor dealership with a staff of 26 employees in Las Cruces, New Mexico and Fabens, Texas. Prior to that, he was a highly-awarded Field Representative for Universal Technical Institute in Phoenix, Arizona from 1983-2003. In 1982, Mr. Hill was a teacher at Gadsden High School in Anthony, New Mexico and from 1976-1982 he worked in both Civil Service and Recreational Services at White Sands Missile Range.
Dr. Bishnu Rauth
Dr. Rauth is a well-regarded Oncologist and Hematologist, serving the needs of Southern New Mexico. He has been in practice for over forty years.
Ralph WM. Richards
Mr. Richards is Vice President and General Counsel of Jobe Materials, L.P. and has served as in-house General Counsel for the Jobe family’s companies since 1998. The focus of his work for the Jobe entities includes business transactions, real property, regulatory law, and oil and gas law. Mr. Richards graduated from New Mexico State University in 1969 and received his law degree from the University of New Mexico Law School in 1973. He is licensed as an attorney in Texas and New Mexico. From 1973 to 1997, Mr. Richards was in private law practice in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where his practice focused on business transactions, real property, taxation, water law, and commercial litigation. In 2010 and 2011, he served as the Chairman of the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce Government Relations Committee. Mr. Richards was raised on a farm and ranch in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, and has been involved in agricultural operations for many years. He sold his last ranching interest in Arizona in 2011.
Paul Saiz M.D.
Dr. Saiz is President of Las Cruces Orthopedic Associates. He specializes in Orthopedic Spine Surgery with a focus on cervical, thoracic and lumbar disease as well as spine tumors. He is also a Faculty/Research Director at Mountainview Orthopedic Residency Program in Las Cruces. Dr. Saiz is a current member of the following professional societies: American Academy Orthopaedic Surgeons (Fellow), American Board of Orthopedic Surgery (Diplomate), American Board of Spinal Surgery (Diplomate), and the North American Spine Society. He has also held a previous membership in the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society. Dr. Saiz earned a B.S. degree from the University of Notre Dame and he attended Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
Mario J. Samaniego D.D.S.
Dr. Samaniego has been President and CEO of Las Cruces Dental Associates and Alamogordo Dental Group since 1985. His practices provide treatment in General Dentistry, Full Mouth Rehabilitations, Cosmetic Dentistry, TMJ Disorders, Sleep Medicine and Implantology. Since 2003, Dr. Samaniego has been President of Premier Fitness and Health Spa, X-CEL Fitness in Alamogordo. He also serves as CEO of Samaniego Commercial Properties LLC and Samaniego Residential Properties LLC. Dr. Samaniego is a graduate of Lomalinda School of Dentistry. After graduation he served in the United States Airforce as a Dental Officer (Captain) where he did a General Practice Residency. Dr. Samaniego is a member of the American Dental Association, the New Mexico Dental Association, the Southwest District Dental Society, and the Orognathic Bioesthetic International – Bioesthetic Dentistry.
F. James Volk
Mr. Volk serves as the Chairman of the Board. He has over 45 years of banking industry experience, which includes the following: District Executive, BBVA Compass Bank (El Paso and Southern New Mexico markets), 2008-2011; Regional President and Director, State National Bank, El Paso, West Texas, and Southern New Mexico, 1999-2008; Chairman, Director and Chief Executive Officer, Sierra Bank (prior to its merger with State National Bank), Las Cruces, New Mexico, 1995-1999; President, Director and Chief Executive Officer, Norwest Bank (formerly United New Mexico Bank of Las Cruces, N.M., Las Cruces, New Mexico, 1983-1984; President, Director and Chief Executive Officer, Montana Bank of Bozeman, Bozeman, Montana, 1980-1983; Agricultural Loan Officer, various banks in Montana and South Dakota, 1969-1980. In addition, Mr. Volk currently serves as the Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of Ace Specialties, Inc., Odessa, Texas, (an entity providing industrial supplies and tools to energy and construction companies in the Permian Basin), a position which he has held since 2013. Mr. Volk also serves in other Director and trustee positions, including the following: Vice Chairman, University Medical Center of El Paso; Director, Medical Center of the Americas; Past Directorships and trustee positions; Director, El Paso Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas; Trustee, Las Palmas/Del Sol Medical Center; Director, Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority; El Paso YWCA Foundation; Western States School of Banking; NMSU Foundation; Memorial Medical Center Foundation; Salvation Army of Las Cruces; New Mexico Bankers Association; Las Cruces Rio Grande Rotary Club; Rio Grande Natural Gas Board Member; New Mexico State University Presidents Association; and Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce.
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About Western Heritage Bank
Since 2001, Western Heritage Bank, a community based institution, has been an active participant in the vibrant and diverse economy of Southern New Mexico. It has helped build businesses ranging from the agriculture industry to manufacturing operations. The bank provides modern banking conveniences with traditional, personalized service in the areas of online banking, personal banking, business banking and loans. Western Heritage Bank is a New Mexico state bank and is a wholly owned subsidiary of New Mexico First Financial, Inc. Western Heritage Bank currently operates locations in Las Cruces, New Mexico and Deming, New Mexico. For more information please visit westernheritagebank.com