Heritage Bank Celebrates Three Years in Eugene and Springfield
The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce is proud to highlight their member, Heritage Bank, as they mark three years of service in Lane County.
Since establishing a presence in the region, the bank has demonstrated a strong commitment to community engagement, relationship-driven service and support for local economic growth. In recognition of this milestone, Heather Gabbert, Relationship Banking Officer for the Eugene Commercial Team, shares a reflection on the bank’s journey and its impact in the Eugene-Springfield area. Her letter highlights the people, partnerships and purpose that continue to guide Heritage Bank’s work in the community.
Three years ago, Heritage Bank took a leap and came to Lane County with a simple mission: to be a bank that truly belongs to the community it serves. When people think about banks, they usually picture big buildings, suits, and a whole lot of paperwork. Our local team is small but mighty and deeply rooted in Lane County. Being part of a community bank isn’t just a job—it’s being part of a shared effort to help our town thrive, to lift each other up, and to invest in more than just numbers. We’re investing in Eugene-Springfield and making the most of it along the way!
One of the things I’m most proud of is how we show up, we roll up our sleeves and get involved. All of us regularly volunteer and sit on numerous boards. And year after year, we participate in United Way’s Day of Caring and other annual community events. It’s these moments—out in the community, side by side with our neighbors—that really stick with you. It’s not just our Heritage Bank team members it’s our clients, business partners, friends and family being excited to join us along our journey.
We’ve had the privilege of working with incredible people—individuals chasing the dream of being an entrepreneur, nonprofits pushing for real change, and developers committed to building affordable housing that puts people first. We’ve financed projects that turned empty lots into homes. While Heritage Bank has historically been a leader in financing affordable housing projects, we are excited to share that we have recently brought that expertise and passion to Lane County!
Our first Lane County partnership was with Cornerstone Community Housing, where we facilitated tax-exempt financing that will result in 39 additional units for the Springfield community! The Alma is a garden-style community which broke ground in 2024 and is quickly on its way to accepting individuals and families as tenants, earning at or below 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI). We are proud of this partnership and hope that we can be a part of the discussions locally to make additional affordable housing units available to the community.
We have developed a number of great relationships with clients across many of the industries that drive the Lane County economy. Our approach to building banking relationships is to truly listen to our clients needs and tailor financial solutions to meet these needs. We are a Team of Bankers that is so fortunate to work with so many great customers by consistently working to find solutions to the ever changing needs of our customers.
We’re just getting started. And if the past three years have shown us anything, it’s that when a bank stands with its community, amazing things can happen.
Here’s to the people, the projects, and the purpose that brought us here—and to the many years still ahead.
– Heather Gabbert, Relationship Banking Officer for the Eugene Commercial Team, Heritage Bank
About Heritage Bank
Heritage Bank serves customers like you. Your neighbors. The couple who owns the storefront across town. The customers we serve bring their unique heritage—and unique needs—to our bank. To help our customers achieve their goals, we offer a complete array of banking services and tools for businesses as well as individuals. Our focus is on our communities: helping customers in our local markets build their heritage.
