California Oaks State Bank's new president and chief executive officer is a veteran banker from Northern California.

John A. Nerland, 42, held key posts at banks in Solano and Napa counties for more than 20 years before being recruited to head the Thousand Oaks-based business bank this summer.

He took over Aug. 13 and replaces Cole Minnock, who resigned in April.

As its president and CEO, Nerland helped found Solano Bank in Vacaville and turn it into a successful business bank. He also worked as chief credit officer at the Vintage Bank in Napa. Both banks were owned by NorthBay Bancorp until the company was acquired earlier this year by Umpqua Holding Corp.

Nerland also has held executive positions with Civic Bank of Commerce and WestAmerica Bank.

"John's success in taking a startup bank and building it into a leading financial institution, combined with his expertise in creating a dynamic growth culture while preserving the dedication to the bank's clients and surrounding communities, are essential to Cal Oaks' next stage of growth," Robert E. Lewis, Cal Oaks' board chairman, said in a statement.

Although several business banks have been launched in Ventura County over the past few years, Nerland said the market is fragmented, with the larger banking chains still controlling most of the business.

He said that usually allows room for banks like his that emphasize local service.

"The real niche for community banks has been in the business market because it's so hard to compete against the Wells Fargos and the B of A's at the retail level," he said. "I think the community business banks can provide the service to the businesses and the professionals out there. Those are the people we're going after."

Nerland said that when he started his career, he called on business operators who were customers of major banks. When he asked whether they had a business relationship with a banker, many said they had to call 800 numbers and speak with people they did not know to do business. That became a business opportunity for him.

"To me, it's an easier sell to get into somebody when they're not really banking with anybody, when they bank with an institution," he said.

California Oaks State Bank was founded in 1998. It has total assets of $108 million, with offices in Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley. Its stock is traded on the over-the-counter market under the symbol COSB. The company has about 45 employees and 5,000 customers.

There are no imminent expansion plans, Nerland said, but the bank's Simi Valley office will move from Los Angeles Avenue to a larger and more modern facility on First Street near the Simi Valley Town Center later this year.

Nerland, who has a bachelor's degree in finance from Arizona State University and a master's in marketing from San Francisco State University, was active in Northern California civic organizations and said he hopes to become involved in local service groups when he completes his transition in about six months.

He was chairman of the Vacaville Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors and chairman of the Sutter Solano Medical Foundation's board. He was also a board member of the Vacaville Rotary Club.

He hopes to use community involvement to make California Oaks State Bank more relevant to local residents by having it provide a service that other banks don't offer.

When school funding became tight in Vacaville, Nerland said, he served on a foundation that raised more than $1 million for public schools in three years.

When donations slowed, he organized a program in which students with perfect attendance each month could qualify to win an iPod music player from his bank. The program increased attendance 2 percent over the first few months, enabling Vacaville's public schools to collect an additional $250,000 to $300,000 in state funding, Nerland said.

Nerland and his wife, Julie, will close escrow next week on a house in Newbury Park. They have three daughters: Emily, 14; Elizabeth, 12; and Olivia, 6.

"It became pretty clear to me that this was a great opportunity for me to make a big move for our family," he said. "It wasn't an easy decision, but it was what I think was a great decision. My family and kids are excited."

On the Net:

www.caloaks.com