A bank with three locations in Western Colorado has once again been recognized for its services to small businesses and communities in the region.

Timberline Bank was named the Colorado Community and Rural Lender of the Year by the Colorado district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Timberline Bank also was honored by the SBA in 2016 as Colorado Rural Lender of the Year.

The same year, Timberline Bank was selected as one of 50 winners in the Colorado Companies to Watch program recognizing companies for high performance in the marketplace through innovative products and processes.

Founded by employees and investors in 2004, Timberline Bank operates locations in Grand Junction as well as Aspen and Montrose.  As an SBA preferred lender, the bank can make quick decisions on SBA-backed loans as well as quickly process the paperwork.

Timberline Bank was among a total of 10 companies, individuals and organizations honored by the Colorado District Office of the SBA as part of the upcoming Small Business Week. An awards event is set for May 10 at the Front Range Community College in Westminster.

“Colorado has a rich history of small business creation and innovation, and our winners are representative of the robust business climate that exists in this state,” said Frances Padilla, director of the Colorado district office.

Wells Fargo was honored as the Large Lender of the Year for the SBA 7(a) loan guarantee program, while BOK Financial based in Denver was the Small Lender of the Year. The Colorado Lending Source based in Denver was the Large Certified Development Company of the Year for the SBA 504 loan program, while Preferred Lending Partners in Denver was the Small CDC of the Year.

Rick Schmidt, president and chief executive officer of Tipping Point Solutions in Centennial, was named Small Business Person of the Year in Colorado. The firm provides instructional design, film production and technology development services for military and commercial markets.

Deltech, a Denver-based firm that builds furnaces to manufacture scientific products, was named Exporter of the Year for Colorado as well as a six-state region that includes Colorado.

The East Colorado Small Business Development Center won the state and regional SBDC Excellence and Innovation Award.

Medved Global in Dolores was selected as the national Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year.

The Metro North Chamber of Commerce in Westminster received the Colorado district director’s Diamond Award.