The Story Behind ShoreBank Pacific
ShoreBank Pacific is the result of an innovative partnership between Ecotrust™, a non-profit devoted to fostering a conservation based economy, and ShoreBank Corporation, a pioneer in developing inner city community projects.
In 1991 Spencer Beebe, the director of Ecotrust, was rafting the Salmon River in a group that included Mary Houghton, one of the founders of ShoreBank. The two started talking about bringing new resources to people trying to grow their businesses in ways that would bring environmental and social returns while creating economic opportunity. Two years later, Ecotrust and ShoreBank joined forces to launch ShoreBank Enterprise Pacific (now ShoreBank Enterprise Cascadia - SBEC), a non-profit market development and technical assistance organization. SBEC makes loans that might be too risky for FDIC-insured banks and links products to new markets while providing technical assistance to small rural businesses. As SBEC established a presence in the Columbia-Pacific Coast region, ShoreBank raised EcoDeposits™ from investors who wanted their money to help build a healthy economy and community.
In 1997, ShoreBank Pacific opened its doors in a double-wide trailer on the docks of Ilwaco, Washington. In 2001, ShoreBank Pacific and SBEC replaced the trailer with a new headquarters using sustainable building technologies and practices, including recycled materials and storm water retention. In 2001, ShoreBank Pacific opened an office in the LEED Gold Rated Ecotrust Building in Portland. ShoreBank Pacific serves Western Oregon and Washington through offices in Ilwaco, WA, Portland, OR and Seattle, WA.