Petrina to retire from 1st Security Bank
1st Security Bank announced recently the retirement of longtime Sequim banker Melissa Petrina. Her last day with the bank is Sept. 6.
Petrina went to work for Bank of America in the Forks branch in the summer of 2002, the year she moved to the Olympic Peninsula from Chico, Calif. She transferred to the Sequim branch in 2012 and has been a customer favorite there ever since, bank officials said.
Petrina was on the Sequim team when 1st Security acquired the branch in 2016; she has worked as a personal account representative since the acquisition.
“Melissa is deeply dedicated to her customers and the Sequim community,” says Kelli Nielsen, EVP of Retail Banking and Marketing at 1st Security. “Her presence will be greatly missed by all who have come to enjoy her exceptional service, her big heart and her lively sense of humor.”
In retirement, Petrina said she will continue her involvement in the Sequim community, including work with the Sequim Food Bank and with Wounded Warriors.
1st Security invites the community to drop by the bank, 114 S. Sequim Ave., on Sept. 5, for refreshments and to wish Petrina a happy retirement.
Organizations look to help entrepreneurs, small business owners
Duane Fladland, state director of the Washington Small Business Development Center (SBDC), has announced that the SBDC is partnering with the Center for Inclusive Entrepreneurship to provide early stage advising to entrepreneurs who have an idea for a business but don’t know where to start.
The Center for Inclusive Entrepreneurship (CIE) has been working with aspiring entrepreneurs and early stage small businesses on the Olympic Peninsula since 2013. This fall, CIE’s Community Enterprise program will start offering ongoing training and one-on-one advising on the Olympic Peninsula out of a new Port Angeles branch office, located at 338 W. First St.
While CIE will focus on aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses, the SBDC will focus on helping existing businesses expand exponentially to bring new jobs and new investment to the region, SBDC officials said last week.
For more about the Washington SBDC, visit www.wsbdc.org. For more information about the Center for Inclusive Entrepreneurship, go to www.cie-nw.org.
