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7/6/08

Brothers open The V in Imperial
By ERIC GALVAN
Staff Writer, Imperial Valley Press

VALENCIAS : Guillermo and Jorge are adding to the string of new businesses cropping up in downtown Imperial.

Guillermo Valencia agrees there’s a lot of growth going on in the city of Imperial. “You look around and you’ve got a lot going on,” he said. “But it’s mostly housing. Yeah, the housing has blown up, but as far as commercial growth, it’s not the same. It’s picking up, but you don’t see as much.” Especially in the heart of Imperial, Valencia said he and his brother, Jorge, believed there was something missing that wasn’t being provided. So taking over what was Sunset Tacos, he and his brother opened The V Sports Bar and Grill at 116 S. Imperial Ave. in Imperial next to Anazao Coffee Co. and across from Johnny’s Burritos.

The joint has been open for three months and Valencia said business is gradually starting to grow, which he’s fine with considering he opened the place on a whim. “Yeah, it just kind of came up,” he said of the opportunity to open his own sports bar and grill. “But I don’t know, maybe there was always just something deep inside that wanted to open a sports bar at some point. “But things are going pretty good,” he said. “Things are going better than expected and it seems every week we’re picking up more and more business.”

The V is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to midnight weekdays and from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. weekends. Though the opportunity to open the sports bar just came up a few months ago, Valencia concedes the timing may have worked out well for the establishment.

By opening in the spring months, Valencia, who said he has never been in the restaurant business, said it allows the place and himself to learn day by day and week by week as the only sporting options on television are basketball, baseball and the occasional soccer game.

He said in the fall The V will be open seven days a week when the NFL season begins to accommodate those wanting a place to go to watch “Monday Night Football.” At that point he figures business will start to pick up and the few lighter months of learning on the job and ironing out the kinks will have paid off.

For now he said patrons can stop by to have a few drinks, shoot pool or play darts, watch whatever game is on one of the many flat screen televisions hanging on the wall and try one of the signature V Burgers.

While the kitchen serves appetizers and burgers — he said he didn’t want to open yet another Mexican food joint in the Imperial Valley — Valencia said in the future as The V grows so, too, will its menu.

“You can come on by, shoot pool, have a drink or whatever,” he said. “It’s just a nice, cool place to hang out.”

3/6/08

Community Valley Bank breaks ground in Brawley
By JONATHAN DALE, Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 5, 2008

BRAWLEY - For a moment Wednesday morning, the sun broke through a thin cloud cover to flash upon the gold shovels used for the groundbreaking of Community Valley Bank here.

Soon to be located in a small portion of the empty Planters Hotel lot, the new bank is seen by many as the beginning of improvements along Brawley's Main Street.

"I think it's wonderful that we're getting a bank in here," Brawley Mayor John Benson said. "I think the downtown is going to be full of more financial businesses and health centers because much of the retail business will move out by Wal-Mart when that opens to capitalize on the customers there."

The groundbreaking came about six months after the bank opened for business in El Centro, with a Brawley branch having been set squarely in the bank's eyes all along.

"It really is exciting," bank President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Hahn said. "It's been a long time coming. This is really going to add value to both Brawley and CVB."

Both city officials and bank executives are shooting for the bank to be completed by the first week of April, meaning that in exactly one month there could finally be a building where Planters once stood before being destroyed in an arson fire one year ago.

"It's especially nice to have a good solid new bank moved in here where all of a sudden we lost this landmark hotel and everybody was nervous about the empty lot here," Benson said. "We want all areas of the town to prosper."

To read the full story, visit the Imperial Valley Press at www.ivpressonline.com

1/9/08

Bank Branch Planted at Planters

By JONATHAN DALE, Staff Writer

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

BRAWLEY - There will finally be a building where the Planters
Hotel once stood.

The Brawley Planning Commission approved a plan Wednesday night that would see Community Valley Bank put in a Brawley branch in a portion of the empty Planters lot.

"I think it's going to be a benefit to the community of Brawley and certainly to CVB, because we've always been committed to the city of Brawley," bank president and chief executive officer Bob Hahn said. "Our goal is to be open by the end of February."

The branch - described as "semi-mobile" by Hahn - would be the first building to be planted in the lot that held the foundation of the Planters Hotel, which burned down in an arson-caused fire last March.

"Our plan is we want to get the bank open as soon as possible," Planters owner Allen Earley said. "We will be working with CVB to assist us with the financing touch to our master plan, which is the restoration of the Planters Hotel," he said.

Hahn said some of the management of the new branch is already waiting for the building to open. "We already have our branch manager and operations manager hired, and we're in the process of recruiting more folks right now," Hahn said.

To read the full story, visit the Imperial Valley Press at www.ivpressonline.com

10/1/07

Welcome to Community Valley Bank! Thanks to the support of over 300 Valley investors, Community Valley Bank (CVB) is open and ready to meet the needs of our Valleyites. CVB is the only locally owned and locally headquartered bank in Imperial County. We are committed to giving professional and personal service to every customer. Our local management team allows for greater flexibility and personal services. We invite everyone to visit our first branch in El Centro to begin a relationship with us today. Our second branch, in Brawley, should be open before year end.

CVB is committed to the development of our community. We offer a wide range of business and personal deposit products to suit the needs of our community. We will offer extensive electronic banking options. We offer a complete menu of loan products for business, commercial real estate, SBA, and consumer needs. With local decision-making and the personal touch, CVB is Your Valley's bank of choice.

Community Valley Bank (CVB) will open in October of 2007. Please call or stop by to open an account or apply for a loan!

Press Releases

5/21/08   CVB MLB Ticket Giveaway
2/29/08   Brawley Branch Ground Breaking
1/17/08   CVB Announcement of Sandi Wirick