“Some banks talk about building relationships. This bank does it!”

Rennie R. West, President
JRW Maui Inc. dba International House of Pancakes (IHOP)

For Rennie West being an entrepreneur seems to come naturally. After six consecutive years of being named Taco Bell’s General Manager of the Year and while managing two locations on Oahu, Rennie’s entrepreneurial spirit led her to purchase the IHOP franchise on Maui in 1999. Within five years, Rennie and her employees turned this once-struggling restaurant into a thriving and successful family favorite.

But despite her restaurant’s success there was one facet of her business she was not happy with. “I had been with another bank since I started my own business, and I was not entirely satisfied with them,” says Rennie. “Their service and the kinds of things they offered were just not satisfactory.” She made a point of talking with other people and listening to what they said about their banks. She kept hearing very good things about the bank’s business bankers and thought she’d give them a try. “I went to the bank and met Kevin Yoshida and Pat Matsumoto. From the start I was so impressed with them,” Rennie says. She felt so comfortable she promptly moved her business checking account over. “Sure enough, now I’m experiencing what I heard from other people about how great the bank is,” says Rennie. She particularly appreciates the personalized service. “On days when I just can’t get to the bank to make a deposit, Pat will actually come and pick up the deposit up for me!”

The bank is also helping Rennie grow her business. When she needed to do some renovation, she applied for a loan. “Even though I was a new client, the bank gave me the loan,” says Rennie. And now she is in the process of getting a loan through the bank and the Small Business Administration so she can build her next restaurant, this time in Honolulu. “This bank is serious about building a meaningful business relationship with a client. Not just talking about it, but doing it!” Rennie says enthusiastically. Their commitment to small business people really means a lot to someone like me.“

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