UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
The Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): February 22, 2017
COLUMBIA BANKING SYSTEM, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Washington | 000-20288 | 91-1422237 | ||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) |
(IRS Employer Identification No.) |
1301 A Street
Tacoma, WA 98402
(Address of principal executive offices) (zip code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (253) 305-1900
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
| ☐ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ☐ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
| Item 5.02. | Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers. |
Following the unexpected death of President and Chief Executive Officer, Melanie J. Dressel, the Company’s Board of Directors, on February 22, 2017, appointed Hadley S. Robbins to serve as the Company’s Interim Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Robbins will also serve as Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Columbia State Bank.
Mr. Robbins, age 60, was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company in March 2014. He joined the Company as Senior Vice President and Oregon Group Manager in April 2013, when the Company acquired West Coast Bancorp, where Mr. Robbins had served as Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer since 2007. Mr. Robbins has over 35 years of industry experience and has held executive or senior management positions with Wells Fargo Bank and community banks in the Pacific Northwest.
There are no family relationships between Mr. Robbins and any director or executive officer of the Company (or person nominated or chosen to become a director or executive officer of the Company), and Mr. Robbins has no direct or indirect material interest in any transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.
A copy of the press release announcing the appointment of Mr. Robbins is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.
| Item 9.01. | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
(d) Exhibits.
| Exhibit |
Description | |
| 99.1 | Press Release dated February 22, 2017 announcing the appointment of Hadley Robbins as Interim CEO | |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| COLUMBIA BANKING SYSTEM, INC. | ||||||||
| Date: | February 22, 2017 | By: | /s/ Clint E. Stein | |||||
| Clint E. Stein Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||
EXHIBIT INDEX
| Exhibit |
Description | |
| 99.1 | Press Release dated February 22, 2017 announcing the appointment of Hadley Robbins as Interim CEO | |
Exhibit 99.1
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Columbia Banking System Appoints Hadley S. Robbins Interim CEO
TACOMA, Washington, February 22, 2017 — Columbia Banking System (NASDAQ: COLB) (“Columbia”) today announced that Hadley S. Robbins, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Columbia, has been appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer of Columbia and its wholly owned subsidiary, Columbia State Bank, following the unexpected passing of Melanie J. Dressel on Sunday, February 19th.
“Hadley has more than 35 years of experience in community banking and has been responsible for Columbia’s operations and customer-facing business lines since 2014. We are fortunate to be able to call upon him, as he has worked closely with the entire executive leadership team at Columbia for several years,” said William Weyerhaeuser, Chairman of the Board of Columbia. As part of the implementation of the succession planning process, the Board of Directors of Columbia intends to conduct a search for a permanent Chief Executive Officer, in which both internal and external candidates will be considered.
Mr. Robbins was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Columbia in March 2014, with responsibility for Columbia’s customer-facing business lines, including Commercial Banking, Retail Banking and Wealth Management. His experience includes executive or senior management positions with West Coast Bancorp, Wells Fargo Bank, Pacific Northwest Bank, Bank of the Northwest and First Interstate Bank. He holds an MBA from the University of Oregon and a BS in Business Administration from Lewis and Clark College.
About Columbia
Headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, Columbia Banking System, Inc. is the holding company of Columbia Bank, a Washington state-chartered full-service commercial bank, with locations throughout Washington, Oregon and Idaho. For the tenth consecutive year, the bank was named in 2016 as one of Puget Sound Business Journal’s “Washington’s Best Workplaces.” Columbia ranked in the top 20 on the 2016 Forbes list of best banks in the country for the fifth year in a row.
More information about Columbia can be found on its website at www.columbiabank.com.
Investor contact:
Clint E. Stein
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
(253) 305-1921
Media contact:
Moira Conlon
Financial Profiles
(310) 622-8220