Wood - Upstate Colorado Chairman

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WOOD TAPPED AS UPSTATE COLORADO CHAIRMAN

January 25, 2007

Contact: Larry Burkhardt

356-4565

The Board of Directors of Upstate Colorado Economic development have selected Larry Wood, President of Union Colony Bank to serve a second two-year term as Chairman of the Board. Wood, who has served as Chairman since 2005, counts the opening of the Windsor Owens-Illinois bottle manufacturing plant and the hiring of Upstate's President/CEO, Larry Burkhardt as the key events of his first term. Looking ahead, Wood commented: The opportunities available to Weld County continue to point to increased job creation. We remain very optimistic about the area's future, and look forward to supporting efforts to further diversify our industrial base.

Upstate's Board selected ReMax Alliance Broker, John DeWitt as its Vice Chair, and Greeley attorney, Jeff Bedingfield to serve as Treasurer.

1stBank Senior Vice President, Weston Kurz, was elected to fill an unexpired term on the Board of Directors that was left vacant when former Windsor Town Administrator, Rod Wensing, left Weld County7 to take the Assistant City Manager position for the City of Loveland. Kurz will represent the Northwest geographic quadrant of Weld County on the Upstate Board, that area north of Highway 60 and west of U.S. Highway 85.

Upstate Colorado Economic Development is the public/private nonprofit economic development corporation that serves all of Weld County. Its mission is to build local economic vitality by supporting the needs of existing primary employers and by working to attract new primary employers to the County.