Johnson upbeat on future of Columbia Falls

Mark Johnson, the new branch manager for Glacier Bank, is upbeat on the future of Columbia Falls.

“I think this is the best city in the state to raise kids,” he said.

While Columbia Falls has grown over the years and sees a stream of traffic headed to Glacier National Park in the summer months, it still has a hometown feel where everyone knows everyone, he noted. Johnson is taking over for Gary Sparr, who retired from Glacier Bank on Dec. 31.

With Xanterra Parks and Resorts setting up its new offices and warehouse in the city and several other new businesses coming in, Johnson sees a revitalization in the city.

“I think next year will be a big year for us,” he said.

Johnson was born in Okinawa, Japan, an Air Force brat who grew up in Great Falls. He graduated from Montana State University in 1994 with a degree in finance and a minor in economics.

His first banking job came in high school. At age 16, he worked in the bookkeeping department at First Interstate Bank in Great Falls and went on to be a teller. In college, he managed the concessions at the corporate sponsor tent. After college, he went to work for First Security Bank in Bozeman.

In 1996, he became Glacier Bank’s consumer lender in Columbia Falls. Johnson worked at the bank until 2000 before moving to a local job in the health insurance, retirement and financing industry for 10 years. He returned to Glacier Bank in 2012.

“I enjoy helping people,” he said. “Helping them get to their dreams.”

Johnson has been married 19 years and has two boys, Will, 18, and Nicholas, 14. Will plays football and basketball, and Nicholas plays football, basketball and track. His wife Molly is a registered nurse and manages a dialysis clinic in Kalispell.

Johnson is a member of the Columbia Falls Lions Club, Leadership Flathead, the St. Richard’s Catholic Church finance council and the Mel Ruder Children’s Fund. He is the treasurer of the Columbia Falls Chamber of Commerce and the secretary-treasurer of the Columbia Falls Community Foundation.

The banking industry has seen a lot of changes over his career. It used to be a banker could give a loan with a conversation and a handshake, Johnson said. No more. In the post Great Recession era, loans must be verified under new banking rules and regulations. He said some days he spends more time on reports and disclosures than actually writing loans.

Regulations aside, Columbia Falls is a great place to be, he said, noting the recent Salvation Army Kettle Drive, where Columbia Falls raised more money than any other city in the valley.

“Who has the biggest heart in the valley?” he asked. “Us.”