February Spotlight, Jim Whitney

James "Jim" Whitney, First State Bank of California, remembers more than one attempt to gut the SBA, and is a firm believer that NAGGL is a big reason that no such attempt has been successful. The past Board Chairman and recipient of NAGGL's Distinguished Service Award says, "NAGGL has long been the voice that has kept this agency going."

Whitney believes NAGGL will continue to guide the industry and he knows the kind of energy that takes to do it, because he experienced it during the association's initial organization.

"The original meeting in San Diego where we got this thing going…we filled a room up with lenders that were ready to get on an airplane and go to Washington, D.C.," he recalled.

As we recapture that enthusiasm, we look forward from the beginning of our 20th year in great anticipation of the many victories still to come.