Joe Kola has joined Stockman Bank as market president of Stockman’s new bank scheduled for construction next year in Whitefish.  This new bank will be Stockman’s first in the Flathead Valley, and its 37th full-service banking location in Montana. Kola will oversee Stockman’s entrance into the market and supervise all phases of staffing, lending, operations, planning, and development of the Flathead market. 

Kola brings 22 years of banking experience to the position, serving most recently as market president for a multi-state bank in Kalispell. He started his career on the teller line while attending the University of Montana’s School of Business Administration, earning a bachelor’s degree in finance followed by an MBA. After college, he worked as a credit analyst, then as a commercial relationship manager, a commercial group manager, and finally as a market president. He has worked in Missoula, Whitefish, Jackson, Wyoming, and most recently in Kalispell.  Along the way, he attended Pacific Coast Banking School, graduating with honors, and completed Leadership Wyoming (Class of 2015). A Kalispell native, he returned “home” in 2019 from Wyoming.  His wife, Tracy, is also a Kalispell native and their twin boys will attend Glacier High School as freshmen this fall. 

 “We are excited to welcome Joe to the Stockman Bank family,” stated Jeremy Morgret, Chief of Branch Supervision for Stockman Bank. “His experience, and deep-rooted knowledge and understanding the Flathead Valley will be key for us as Stockman enters this new market.”

 “While Stockman already has many customers in the Flathead Valley, we look forward to serving more of our neighbors throughout this beautiful region of our state,” added Bill Coffee, CEO of Stockman Bank. “We will soon have a temporary banking office for Joe and his future team and will begin construction of a new state-of-the-art banking facility in Whitefish next year. We are confident our unique brand of Montana community banking will bring more options and a higher level of customer service to the Flathead Valley.”