News

Fidelity Bank has a new senior vice president of commercial banking for the Wichita market.

According to a release from the bank, Jesse West was recently hired as Fidelity's senior vice president and commercial banking manager for the Wichita-area market. West now oversees commercial lending in the Wichita area, along with treasury management duties across all of the bank's markets.

West and his family relocated to Wichita from Leawood.

"It has been eye-opening to witness Wichita's energetic, enthusiastic entrepreneurial spirit, and how Fidelity supports business owners," said West in the release. "It was crucial for me to work for a bank that is committed to its market and has a rich history of supporting the growing financial needs of its business customers."

"Fidelity has the resources and vision necessary to help business owners succeed."

According to his LinkedIn page, West came to Fidelity from Morrill & Janes Bank and Trust in Merriam. His career has spanned three decades.

"Fidelity's commercial lines of business are in serious growth mode, which calls for additional manpower and guidance," said Jeff Ronen, director of commercial banking. "We're thrilled to have found Jesse. He has the experience and strategic insight necessary to not only build new customer relationships, but also lead our growing team."

According to a Fidelity Bank spokeswoman, West is in part replacing Roger Mericle, who was recently promoted to a new role with the bank. West's position, however, is a newly-created spot.

Before moving to Wichita, West served on the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City's capital campaign committee. He said he believes it's important to volunteer.

"I've dedicated my life to helping organizations grow, both through my work and through my volunteer efforts," West said. "I'm looking forward to getting involved with Wichita's thriving business and volunteer community."

Fidelity Bank, according to WBJ data, has about 380 full-time employees in the Wichita area. As of June, the bank, which also has offices in the Oklahoma City and Kansas City areas, reported total assets of just over $2 billion.

Wichita Business Journal, October 24, 2018