Opportunity Bank has been named the 2021 Business of the Year by the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce. The announcement was made at the Chamber’s 15th Annual Awards luncheon on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022.
In recognizing Opportunity Bank, Chamber Board Chair Bob Heberly noted, “There were many keynotes of why they are the top nomination.” He called out the bank’s work with businesses for PPP loans, support of employees during the pandemic, and the number of volunteer hours contributed by Helena employees to local organizations.

The award was accepted by Bank President and CEO Pete Johnson.

“We’re very proud of what we do. As a community bank, we take that term very seriously. We’re committed to our community, and Helena is our home,” said Pete. “It is certainly a group effort … it’s a big operation, and I have a fabulous team.”

The Big 100

2021 was a year with a positive focus. In August, Opportunity Bank kicked off a year-long observance of the 100th year in business. This milestone is one to be celebrated in a big way. Opportunity Bank is calling the celebration The Big 100, leading up to the anniversary of the bank’s founding on Aug. 16, 1922. During this anniversary year, the bank will give 100 gifts, tell 100 stories and share 100 lessons learned in 100 years of banking. These stories and lessons are provided by bank employees past and present, business customers who turned to Opportunity bank to help their businesses thrive, and customers who count on Opportunity Bank for sound financial products, services and relationships.

Pandemic Response

Opportunity Bank met the challenges of the ongoing pandemic head-on. Programs that began in 2020 carried through and evolved throughout 2021 to meet changing needs.

The commercial lending team provided swift access to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that helped businesses, self-employed workers, sole proprietors, and non-profit organizations continue paying their workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Opportunity Bank also worked to ease the financial impact of COVID-19 for homeowners with proactive communication and engagement with Montana Housing for the CARES Act emergency housing assistance program.

Throughout 2021, Opportunity Bank continued programs to help employees with pandemic-related issues. Early in 2020, Opportunity Bank responded quickly and generously to support the needs of our employees. Prior to any government reimbursement, the Bank created a bank of special COVID-19 paid time off to provide employees with paid leave, separate from vacation/sick leave already provided to employees. The Bank has continued to “refresh” this special time off in 2021, and it is still available for employees in 2022. Upwards of $100,000 have been paid to 150 different employees for COVID-related paid leave.

Growth

2021 also saw the bank poised for continued growth with the announcement of an agreement to acquire First Community Bank, headquartered in Glasgow. With the acquisition complete, Opportunity Bank will grow approximately 25% in assets, and add branches in six new communities for the bank. The closing of the acquisition is expected in May 2022.

Investment in Helena

In 2021, Opportunity Bank announced plans to build a 20,000 square-foot operations center in Helena on the site of the former Capitol Hill Mall. Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2022.
Ultimately, 65 bank employees will work in the new building, bringing many local departments under one roof.

• Opportunity Bank employees will benefit from a state-of-the-art 99-seat training facility.
• There are plans to have the training space available to the public for meetings and events.
• The building is an investment in the Helena economy, using local design, engineering and construction teams.

“We’re really proud of our culture. That’s why we love being so involved in the community,” Johnson said in addressing Chamber guests. “It felt kind of like old home week up here … you don’t have to go very far to get a connection.”