TOP BANKER PANEL 2021 AGENDA
Friday, November 5th
9:00 am – 10:15 am: De Novo Banking Group – Vista Ballroom
Moderated by Gary Findley & Mike Soza, Partner, Eide Bailly
9:00 am – 10:15 am: De Novo Banking Group – Vista Ballroom
Moderated by Gary Findley & Mike Soza, Partner, Eide Bailly
Dan Yates, Co-Founder & CEO, Endeavor Bank
Over his four decades in the banking industry, Dan has founded two banks – Regents Bank which he grew to over $620 million in assets in 12 years and now Endeavor Bank. In addition to creating banks from the ground up, Dan has sold, acquired, and merged banks, raised capital for banks, and, as a consultant and CEO, he has turned around banks.
Prior to co-founding Endeavor Bank, Dan served as President and CEO of Neighborhood National Bank in San Diego, a community development bank focused on low- to moderate-income communities. He is a former Board Member of the Western Bankers Association and a past Director of NTS, a testing, inspection, and certification company, where he also served as the Comp Committee Chair and on the Audit Committee. Dan is a native San Diegan.
John Miller, Director & Founding CEO, Lexicon Bank
John Miller was the founding CEO of Lexicon Bank. He is a Las Vegas native, investment professional, entrepreneur, and consultant to the community banking industry who, since 2000, has provided investment advisory and consulting services in the banking and insurance industries. Mr. Miller served the PWH Trust for 11 years, where he created and introduced multiple technological and analytical tools that greatly expanded the community bank, insurance, and other industry portfolios under management, growing the trust’s assets to over $500 Million.
Mr. Miller was also a founding investor and board member of two de novo banks, Professional Bank and Pioneer Bank, both in Texas, and worked to launch and grow those two banks. Mr. Miller served as a board member in Mojave Desert Bank from 2009 to 2013, a distressed bank in Mojave, California. In 2012, Mr. Miller joined and still currently serves on the board of Mission Valley Bancorp in Sun Valley, CA, a $350 million asset bank. From 2014 to 2016, he served as a board member for Proficio Bank (Salt Lake, UT). Proficio was a troubled institution when he joined; management ultimately left the bank and Mr. Miller was asked to wind down the Mortgage Subsidiary.
Mr. Miller attended The University of Notre Dame, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Philosophy. Additionally, he is the co-founder of a winery in Sonoma County's Dry Creek Valley.
Stephen Gordon, Founding Chairman and CEO, Genesis Bank
Mr. Gordon is the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Genesis Bank. Mr. Gordon has over 35 years of financial industry experience, including serving as Founding Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of Opus Bank; Founding Chairman and CEO of Commercial Capital Bank and its savings and loan holding company, Commercial Capital Bancorp, Inc; as well as Chairman and CEO of Fremont Investment and Loan and its holding company, Fremont General Corporation.
Additionally, Mr. Gordon served as a Partner at Sandler O’Neill + Partners, L.P., a New York based investment banking firm.
Gary Steven Findley, President of Gary Steven Findley & Associates
Gary Steven Findley & Associates is a law firm specializing in banking law whose areas of expertise include regulatory relations/legal work, mergers and acquisitions, securities, corporate representation, regulatory enforcement action counseling, and capital restoration programs.
Gary Findley is a specialist in the creating and legally shepherding of new and innovative programs for financial institutions. In addition, he counsels boards of directors and senior managements on maintaining safe and sound financial condition in a changing and challenging environment. Gary Findley is Director of The Findley Group, the management consulting arm of The Findley Companies. He is also President and Editor of The Findley Reports Newsletter and a Registered Investment Advisor.
Mike Soza, Partner, Eide Bailly
Mike provides audit and advisory services to financial services clients. His experience includes serving clients ranging in size from de novo enterprises to publicly traded multinational corporations. Previously, Mike spent more than 30 years with Big Four and International accounting firms. His clients have included banking, leasing, insurance, fintech and hedge funds.
He has served as engagement partner on over 30 community banking organizations throughout California and has worked with financial services companies throughout the globe. He has served as global engagement lead partner for companies in the leasing and payments industries, coordinating multiple country engagement team audits. When you work with Mike, you can expect to him to work proactively with you to understand your needs and come to common sense solutions.
When he is not working on clients, Mike spends his time playing golf, traveling, watching college football and giving back to the community through several organizations. In addition to his current activities, Mike has served as the board chair for a regional symphony, the board chair for the St. Francis Foundation, a board member for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and co-founded and served as assistant scoutmaster for a local Boy Scouts of America troop.
Over his four decades in the banking industry, Dan has founded two banks – Regents Bank which he grew to over $620 million in assets in 12 years and now Endeavor Bank. In addition to creating banks from the ground up, Dan has sold, acquired, and merged banks, raised capital for banks, and, as a consultant and CEO, he has turned around banks.
Prior to co-founding Endeavor Bank, Dan served as President and CEO of Neighborhood National Bank in San Diego, a community development bank focused on low- to moderate-income communities. He is a former Board Member of the Western Bankers Association and a past Director of NTS, a testing, inspection, and certification company, where he also served as the Comp Committee Chair and on the Audit Committee. Dan is a native San Diegan.
John Miller, Director & Founding CEO, Lexicon Bank
John Miller was the founding CEO of Lexicon Bank. He is a Las Vegas native, investment professional, entrepreneur, and consultant to the community banking industry who, since 2000, has provided investment advisory and consulting services in the banking and insurance industries. Mr. Miller served the PWH Trust for 11 years, where he created and introduced multiple technological and analytical tools that greatly expanded the community bank, insurance, and other industry portfolios under management, growing the trust’s assets to over $500 Million.
Mr. Miller was also a founding investor and board member of two de novo banks, Professional Bank and Pioneer Bank, both in Texas, and worked to launch and grow those two banks. Mr. Miller served as a board member in Mojave Desert Bank from 2009 to 2013, a distressed bank in Mojave, California. In 2012, Mr. Miller joined and still currently serves on the board of Mission Valley Bancorp in Sun Valley, CA, a $350 million asset bank. From 2014 to 2016, he served as a board member for Proficio Bank (Salt Lake, UT). Proficio was a troubled institution when he joined; management ultimately left the bank and Mr. Miller was asked to wind down the Mortgage Subsidiary.
Mr. Miller attended The University of Notre Dame, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Philosophy. Additionally, he is the co-founder of a winery in Sonoma County's Dry Creek Valley.
Stephen Gordon, Founding Chairman and CEO, Genesis Bank
Mr. Gordon is the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Genesis Bank. Mr. Gordon has over 35 years of financial industry experience, including serving as Founding Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President of Opus Bank; Founding Chairman and CEO of Commercial Capital Bank and its savings and loan holding company, Commercial Capital Bancorp, Inc; as well as Chairman and CEO of Fremont Investment and Loan and its holding company, Fremont General Corporation.
Additionally, Mr. Gordon served as a Partner at Sandler O’Neill + Partners, L.P., a New York based investment banking firm.
Gary Steven Findley, President of Gary Steven Findley & Associates
Gary Steven Findley & Associates is a law firm specializing in banking law whose areas of expertise include regulatory relations/legal work, mergers and acquisitions, securities, corporate representation, regulatory enforcement action counseling, and capital restoration programs.
Gary Findley is a specialist in the creating and legally shepherding of new and innovative programs for financial institutions. In addition, he counsels boards of directors and senior managements on maintaining safe and sound financial condition in a changing and challenging environment. Gary Findley is Director of The Findley Group, the management consulting arm of The Findley Companies. He is also President and Editor of The Findley Reports Newsletter and a Registered Investment Advisor.
Mike Soza, Partner, Eide Bailly
Mike provides audit and advisory services to financial services clients. His experience includes serving clients ranging in size from de novo enterprises to publicly traded multinational corporations. Previously, Mike spent more than 30 years with Big Four and International accounting firms. His clients have included banking, leasing, insurance, fintech and hedge funds.
He has served as engagement partner on over 30 community banking organizations throughout California and has worked with financial services companies throughout the globe. He has served as global engagement lead partner for companies in the leasing and payments industries, coordinating multiple country engagement team audits. When you work with Mike, you can expect to him to work proactively with you to understand your needs and come to common sense solutions.
When he is not working on clients, Mike spends his time playing golf, traveling, watching college football and giving back to the community through several organizations. In addition to his current activities, Mike has served as the board chair for a regional symphony, the board chair for the St. Francis Foundation, a board member for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and co-founded and served as assistant scoutmaster for a local Boy Scouts of America troop.