Sparta, Mich.-based ChoiceOne Bank recently promoted seven employees, including:
- Walter Bargen to vice president, municipal and public funds officer. Bargen has been with the bank for 12 years. He began his banking career in 1978 at a local bank and has worked for several other community banks in his career. Bargen received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and graduated from the American Bankers Association’s Commercial Lending School at Michigan State University in East Lansing and the National Commercial Lending School at the University of Oklahoma in Norman.
- Eric Dyson to VP, head of loan operations. Dyson joined ChoiceOne nearly four
Dyson years ago as retail lending director. He has more than 30 years of lending experience at several Michigan-based community banks. His career has focused on mortgage underwriting, processing, closing, secondary markets and credit. He graduated from the University of Michigan, Dearborn, with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance.
- Aaron Griffin to VP, Small Business Administration lending. Griffin joined ChoiceOne Bank in 2017 as assistant VP, business development officer. Griffin has 15 years of banking experience, which he began at a regional bank before moving up to
Griffin assistant VP, business banking specialist. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in business management from Northwood University, Grand Rapids, Mich.
- Gary Hall to VP, mortgage sales manager. Hall joined ChoiceOne in 2011 as the mortgage sales manager. He began his mortgage career in 1995 and has worked for a large regional bank and owned a mortgage brokerage firm. He has a bachelor’s degree from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids.
Hall - Josh Hucul to VP, senior credit manager. Hucul joined ChoiceOne Bank in 2012 as a commercial credit analyst. He was promoted to VP, credit manager in 2013. Prior to joining the bank, Hucul spent four years at a community bank as a commercial credit analyst and senior commercial credit analyst. A graduate of Saginaw Valley State University in University Center, Mich., Hucul has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance. A graduate of the Michigan Bankers Association Perry School of Banking, Hucul earned the Risk Management Association’s Credit Risk Certified
Hucul credentials and expects to complete the Graduate School of Banking program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison next year.
- Assistant VP Tim Shangle to lead the newly formed Innovation Department. Shangle joined the bank in 2013 in the Customer Service Center. He was promoted to assistant VP of innovation and data analytics in 2020. Prior to joining ChoiceOne, Shangle was the IT director for the Theological Book Network in Grand Rapids. Before that, he was a web architect, interactive media developer for Asbury Theological Seminary
Shangle in Wilmore, Ky. He has a Master of Arts degree, specialization in theological studies, from the Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, and a Bachelor of Science in computer information systems from Aquinas College. He is also a graduate and class president of the Michigan Bankers Association Perry School of Banking.
- Mackenzie Woodward to the branch manager of two Rockford, Mich., branches. She joined ChoiceOne in 2019 as a universal banker in Rockford. The following year, she
Woodward was promoted to assistant branch manager in Comstock Park, Mich.
“Our new scale allows us to progressively broaden all levels of service and expertise to fulfill our mission to provide superior service, quality advice and show our utmost respect to everyone we meet,” said ChoiceOne CEO Kelly Potes. “These financial experts are focused on helping ChoiceOne grow our community bank franchise and maintain our vision to be the best bank in Michigan.”