Thomas R. Swenson

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

In Montana, most of our new jobs don’t come from big companies, they come from small businesses. I founded Bank of Montana to continue to make entrepreneurial dreams a reality.

Tom is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Bank of Montana.

Background

Tom Swenson is an entrepreneur who founded Bank of Montana and is its CEO. Prior to founding Bank of Montana, Tom founded Montana Business Capital Corporation (MBCC) in 1998 – the company that now owns Bank of Montana. While growing MBCC and previously as the President and Director of Montana Community Development Corporation, Tom learned what expanding businesses need most when attempting to access capital – a creative investment banker that can navigate the sometimes murky and troubled waters of getting the money they need to grow.

This need has intensified in recent years. As an entrepreneur and business owner, Tom knows how hard it is to start something from scratch, make a profit, gain access to capital, and to expand. Fortunately Tom, as a highly experienced investment banker, also knows how to get you the money you need under terms that encourage your business to thrive. Tom and his team have learned how to do this through specialization and encourage you as a business owner to do the same; focus your efforts on what you do best and let others do the rest.

Tom Swenson and his team have underwritten and originated in the billions of dollars of small business loans around the nation. These dollars have been directly associated with the creation of literally thousands of jobs. Tom and his team have provided initial loan funds to three of the US SBA Small Business People of the Year in the past ten years and many businesses of note. Tom is recognized as a leading expert in SBA, USDA, CDBG, HUD, MBOI, ExIm, DOE, BIA and conventional bank loans; and more importantly Tom is an expert at combining these resources to make a deal happen.

Tom is a former Director of the Federal Reserve, serving on the Board of Directors of the Helena Branch. Tom served on the Federal Reserve Board for Bank of Montana’s district from 2010 through 2016. He is a charter member of the Montana Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs (MADE). Tom has judged the business plan competition at the University of Montana for many years and was a member of MADE’s special task force assigned to the John Ruffatto Business Plan Competition. Tom is one of six Directors on the State Banking Board and was appointed by the Governor of the State of Montana with the consent of the Senate. He also served on the board of the International Trade Alliance and was appointed by the United States Secretary of Commerce to a board position with the Department of Commerce’s District Export Council representing Montana.

Tom has held senior-level management positions at private corporations and financial institutions for the past two decades. Tom was a teacher at the University of Montana. He taught courses on Small Business Management, Statistics, and Accounting. He has been a featured speaker at SBA, Bureau of Business and Economic Research, Montana World Trade Center, Mansfield Center, Economic Development Summits, Realtor Organization Events, the University of Montana Business School, Department of Commerce, Babson College’s Entrepreneurship and Strategy classes, and many other community events and seminars. Tom has a B.S. from the University of Montana with an emphasis in Accounting, an M.B.A., and is a graduate of the prestigious Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington.

Education

– University of Montana, B.S., Business Administration
– University of Montana, M.B.A.
– University of Oklahoma, National Commercial Lending School
– University of Washington, Pacific Coast Banking School

Interests

Tom is a proud husband and father of four young boys with his wife Holly. He loves nothing more than spending time with his family. Tom is a licensed pilot in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Tom is also a licensed real estate agent, a licensed mortgage broker, and an inactive formerly licensed insurance agent in the State of Montana. Tom is an avid runner and yogi. Tom also enjoys summers at the lake, the Hawaiian Islands, mountain biking, and fishing. Tom loves to travel and enjoys history and the arts. Additionally, Tom works with the Montana World Trade Center and has been on trade missions to China, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, England and Canada.

NMLS# 927795