MIDWEST
First Financial Bancorp, a $3.9 billion-asset multibank holding company in Hamilton, Ohio, has hired Gregory A. Gehlmann as its general counsel and a senior vice president.
Mr. Gehlmann counseled public and private companies investors, underwriters, directors, officers, and principals on corporate securities, banking, and general business and transactional matters at the Washington law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP. He has represented community and regional financial institutions throughout the country, First Financial said.
First Financial owns First Financial Bank and Community First Bank and Trust in Ohio and Fidelity Federal Savings Bank and Sand Ridge Bank in Indiana.
WESTCowlitz Bancorp. of Longview, Wash., has hired Randy Blake as its chief financial officer and that of its $286 million-asset Cowlitz Bank.
He was also named a senior vice president of both,
Mr. Blake was the CFO of the $142 million-asset Columbia Community Bank of Hillsboro, Ore., whose holding company is Columbia Commercial Bancorp. He had worked at Columbia since 2002.
He had been the vice president of operations at Oregon Business Bank of Lake Oswego until Banner Corp. of Walla Walla, Wash., bought it in 2002.
