Southwest Heritage Bank: ‘We’ve made it a point to support local events’

Community, community, community.

It’s what Southwest Heritage Bank is all about, being deeply committed and connected to the community it serves.

While the name change may take some time for the community to get used to; the service, dedication of staff; and quick local decision-making remain the same. Earlier this year, Commerce Bank merged with New Mexico-centric Bank 34, mutually changing their name to Southwest Heritage Bank to honor the deep New Mexico and Arizona roots.

They will continue their support of El Tour de Tucson, of which they’ve been part of for years.

“As a community bank based in Tucson for over 20 years, we’ve made it a point to support local events,” said Sean Murray, Tucson’s Market President for SWHB, “and Perimeter Bicycling has had a long-standing relationship with our bank. Our ongoing support has been renewed with our dual intention of advertising the new brand as well.”

So, here they are. With the same people, same service and mission.

At the time of the merger – in March of 2024 – Chris Webster, CEO of Commerce Bank of Arizona said, “The decision to rebrand stems from our desire to better align our identity with the values and aspirations of the people we serve. As Southwest Heritage Bank, we will remain steadfast in our dedication to providing the same unwavering support that our customers have come to expect from us. That means the same reliable service, personalized attention, and innovative solutions that have made us a trusted partner for countless individuals and businesses.

We are excited about this new chapter in our journey and look forward to continuing to serve our customers as Southwest Heritage Bank, and we can’t thank them enough for their continued trust and support.”

What it does for all involved – at least as it pertains to El Tour – is spread the word about Southwest Heritage Bank’s new name, given a plethora of cyclists come from the New Mexico and Arizona region.

“With El Tour bringing in so many people, we want to remind the local community and those in New Mexico who ride El Tour of our name, Murray said.

Murray, who has been with the bank for 10 years, knows the power of getting the word out through El Tour. More than 8,000 cyclists a year – this year more than 9,000 are expected to ride – with more people coming to cheer those cyclists.

Adding to his stake in it, he said he’ll run the second annual El Tour 5K.

He’s been a runner for about 20 years. He runs and swims weekly.

Southwest Heritage Bank is more than a sponsor, they participate in the events.

“It’s not only important to help with your financial presence, but also your physical presence,” he said. “Our present (the sponsorship) and presence (participating in the event) shows our full commitment to El Tour and the S. Arizona community.”

Southwest Heritage Bank is Member FDIC.