"We are not designed as a chain," Richard Loupe, president of Valley Community Bank, said. "We are about building family-style relationships. When you walk in, you meet the person you do business with."

The office at 1150 S. Bascom Ave. is not designed with teller windows or roped-off areas for customers to snake around. Bankers at Valley Community work with clients on a more personal level.

"We understand the peaks and valleys in their businesses," John Angelesco, senior vice president, said. "I will take the business to the customer."

Loupe said the bank offers the same services as a traditional banking institution, but it's not done "retail-style." Valley Community's focus is on working one-on-one with business owners and professionals.

"The customers can call and say, 'My son is in college, and I need help getting funds to him to buy a car,' " Loupe said. "The customer knows who to go to when he has a question or needs something done."

This customized approach is a key component in the bank's philosophy.

The bank has its own ideas about lending, too.

"One thing we do differently from larger banks is we don't make decisions based on corporate policy," Angelesco said. "We look at everything and then make a decision."

Often a customer is turned away because an institution has a particular position on loaning money, he said. That is not what Valley Community is about.

Loupe added, "Bigger is not better anymore, and I think that's true of any bank."

For more information about Valley Community Bank, 1150 S. Bascom Ave., call 408.275.7150.