TACOMA, Wash., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Columbia Bank announced the promotion of Calvin Pearson from Branch Manager to Assistant Vice President/Branch Manager of the Martin Luther King Jr. Branch. Mr. Pearson will continue establishing the presence of his branch and developing business in the resurgent Upper Tacoma Business District. Columbia Bank opened the Martin Luther King Jr. Branch in January of 2001.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030804/SFM127 )

Mr. Pearson has been with Columbia Bank for three years. He has eight years of banking experience, including five years with First National Bank of Omaha as a Loan Officer and Sr. Personal Banker. He has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, with minors in Psychology and English. He also completed an academic year at the University of Complutense in Madrid, Spain. Fluent in Spanish, he is an interpreter for Columbia Bank.

Mr. Pearson has lived in Tacoma for three years with his family. His wife is a Spanish Professor at UPS. He is a member of the City Club of Tacoma, is active with the Urban League and serves as Board Member and Treasurer for the Upper Tacoma Business District.

Columbia Bank is a Washington state-chartered, full-service commercial bank providing products and services to individuals, business and the real estate community. A wholly owned subsidiary of Columbia Banking System Inc, (Nasdaq: COLB) Columbia Bank currently operates 35 branches in Pierce, King, Cowlitz, Kitsap and Thurston counties.

CONTACT: JoAnne Coy, Vice President, Marketing Director of Columbia Bank, +1-253-305-1965.

SOURCE  Columbia Bank
    -0-                             08/04/2003
    /CONTACT:  JoAnne Coy, Vice President, Marketing Director of
Columbia Bank, +1-253-305-1965/
    /Photo:  NewsCom:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030804/SFM127
              AP Archive:  http://photoarchive.ap.org
              PRN Photo Desk, +1-888-776-6555 or +1-212-782-2840/
    /Web site:  http://www.columbiabank.com /
    (COLB)

CO:  Columbia Bank; Columbia Banking System Inc.
ST:  Washington
IN:  FIN
SU:  PER



MP-JO 
-- SFM127 --
9926 08/04/200316:14 EDThttp://www.prnewswire.com