South Florida Business Journal
December 18, 2024
With more than 20 years of financial-service experience in the Palm Beach area, Maria Coppola-Gomez understands the role that teamwork plays in delivering excellent client service. Her decision to rejoin a group of former colleagues who built one of the region’s strongest community banks before selling and helping launch Vista Bank into the Florida market, will provide the environment to do just that.
Coppola-Gomez, who recently joined Vista Bank as manager of its Palm Beach Gardens banking center, anticipates a seamless transition because of the time she spent working with many of the bank’s leadership team at a prior institution.
“It’s wonderful to be reunited with such a great team of familiar faces,” Coppola-Gomez said. “It’s like getting the band back together again – serving area entrepreneurs as they grow our local economy lights us all up. We have incredible synergy and I know what we are capable of doing for our clients and the community.”
In this role, Coppola-Gomez succeeds Jill Garic, another South Florida banking leader, with whom she also previously worked at Professional Bank. Garic is retiring at the end of 2024, but has spent substantial time onboarding Coppola-Gomez to Vista Bank’s values and processes.
Michael Woody, Florida Market President for Vista Bank, said Coppola-Gomez’s experience makes her a natural fit for the role. “For over a century, Vista Bank has focused on delivering white-glove service to clients in the communities we serve,” Woody said. “We were fortunate to launch S. Florida with Jill Garic in this critical role as her reputation for high-touch client service preceded her. And while Jill will certainly be missed, Maria has a similar reputation in the community and we are humbled she has chosen to invest her talent here at Vista Bank.”
