Jill Soffer joins Wilderness Workshop board

Philanthropist Jill Soffer is the latest addition to the Wilderness Workshop board. Previously, Soffer owned an interior design and home building business in Santa Monica, CA, where she emphasized sustainable energy and water systems. She is a member of the U.S. Green Buildings Council.

In 2015, Soffer relocated to her Missouri Heights ranch and continues her support for the environment, women’s issues and animal rights. She is an active member of the Natural Resources Defense Council Global Leadership Council and is on the board of the NRDC Action Fund. She holds a degree from Brown University and Barnard College.

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Jill joins the robust and diverse Wilderness Workshop board, comprised of the following current members: Mary Dominick, Sue Edelstein, Cici Fox, Lindsay Gurley, Allyn Harvey, Charlie Hopton, Peter Looram, Michael McVoy, Aron Ralston, Michael Stranahan, Karin Teague, Peter Van Domelen, Ted Zokoski, and board president Andy Wiessner.

Alpine Bank honored for community solar power donation

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The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) selected Alpine Bank as the Grand National Award winner for its Community Solar Garden program and commitment to providing environmentally sustainable energy for low-income families.

“Community banks have a proud tradition of volunteer service in their communities: lending a hand where most needed,” said ICBA President and CEO Camden R. Fine. “It is an honor and a privilege to shine a light on this year’s award recipients whose extraordinary and generous acts of charity uplift us all.”

ICBA established the National Community Bank Service Awards 15 years ago to celebrate the outstanding volunteer efforts of the nation’s community banks.

Alpine Bank was chosen from hundreds of nominations nationwide for its many contributions to green energy production, which date back to 2014, and includes one of its most innovative environmentally friendly projects to date: the purchase of 82 individual solar panels from Boulder, Colo.-based Clean Energy Collective to help create a community solar garden. The bank subsequently donated ownership of the panels to the Family and Intercultural Resource Center, a local nonprofit that helps subsidize the energy bills for local families in need.

Since the program’s inception, the bank has invested $896,480 in 1,092 solar panels from five different commu­nity solar projects.

“We are extremely honored to receive this recognition, but what really makes this an honor is the fact that we get to help make a difference in local families’ day-to-day lives,” said Alpine Bank President and Vice Chairman Glen Jammaron. “The longevity of this program is based on a strong public-private partnership that sets an example for other projects going forward.”

The bank’s Community Solar Power Donation campaign is featured in the August issue of ICBA’s Independent Banker magazine and on its website at http://www.independentbanker.org.

El Jebowl under new ownership

El Jebowl bowling lanes in El Jebel has sold to a pair of bowling center operators from Dallas, Tom Weber and Craig Spivey. They plan to rebrand and remodel the center along the lines of their Dallas center, Bowlounge, http://www.bowlounge.com. Pictured are, from left, John Hornblower of VR Business Brokers; Matt Stecklein, representing previous owners the Stecklein family; Tom Weber; and Craig Spivey.