Bell Bank expanded its presence in the Phoenix metro area, hiring five new banking leaders to help guide commercial lending and deposit growth at Bell’s current and upcoming locations.

Adam Christensen has been named senior vice president (SVP)/commercial banker and Gerald Deetz has been named SVP/commercial sales manager in the Phoenix market.

Deetz and Christensen are joined on the commercial leadership team by SVP/Commercial Banking Commercial And Industrial (C&I) Team Leaders Heidi Marshall and Kevin Herbst and SVP/Private Banker Ben Allen.

Deetz is a diversified lender with a wide array of unique commercial lending skills and most recently served for 18 years with a regional bank as a state sales manager and senior commercial banker, establishing niche-industry financing.

“I’m excited to join Bell’s commercial leadership team,” Deetz said. “All of us share a people-first philosophy of banking. Our focus on building relationships and providing personalized service in the best interest of our clients, will offers people a banking experience they won’t find elsewhere. Bell has continued to help businesses through these challenging times, and I’m pleased to be a part of that.”

Christensen will promote Bell’s brand while growing relationships with individuals and businesses. He has been in banking and finance for more than 15 years, including positions as a banking team lead and commercial banking market manager and specialization in construction and contract lending.

Marshall will focus on loans to businesses, including niche lending for contractors and machine shops. She has more than 20 years of experience in commercial banking including financial analysis, loan underwriting, portfolio management and business development. She has also worked in fostering leadership and centers of influence, most recently in senior commercial banking positions.

Herbst will provide banking solutions with niches to contractors, nonprofit organizations and aviation. He has more than 25 years of banking experience, including roles that involved assisting customers in leveraging wealth management, investments, real estate and other aspects of finance.

Allen will provide private banking services, from day-to-day banking to more complex financial services, to business executives and other individuals. He started his banking career as a private banker and now has 16 years of experience in the banking field.