For Niki Gassmann, a vice president at Bank of Estes Park, banking is both a profession and a hometown commitment.
Raised in Estes Park and now managing the bank’s St. Vrain Lane branch, Gassmann is part of a new generation of community bankers investing in their careers while staying rooted in the place they serve.
That effort recently received a boost: the bank was awarded a workforce training grant that will cover nearly half of her second-year tuition at the Graduate School of Banking Colorado.
The funding comes through the Local Industry Grant Hire Train Retain program, or LIGHTR, a partnership between Larimer County Economic and Workforce Development and the City of Fort Collins Economic Health Office. The program provides up to $3,000 to help small businesses with two to 50 employees offset employee training costs and strengthen workforce skills.
To date, 18 Larimer County businesses in several industries have received a 2026 LIGHTR grant, including business support services, construction, manufacturing, healthcare, engineering, hospitality, insurance, nonprofit, banking, and environmental services. LIGHTR is also partnering with the Larimer County Extension Office to offer food protection manager training grants to restaurants and other food-related businesses.
“It exists to help develop employees and invest in them,” said Gassmann, describing the program as a way for local governments to strengthen small businesses by building expertise from within.
Graduate School of Banking – a pathway to leadership
The three-year graduate banking program is a nationally recognized executive education tracks designed for financial professionals. Participants attend intensive two-week summer sessions and complete extensive coursework throughout the year, including research papers and group projects.
The program confers a banking certificate widely considered a prerequisite for senior leadership roles and the time spent in the program can be applied toward a master’s degree at many universities.
“A lot of upper management positions require it,” Gassmann said who explained that the curriculum focuses on the fundamentals of running a bank, including balancing shareholder expectations, customer needs and employee management, while also emphasizing the role of community banks in local economies.
That focus aligns closely with the philosophy of Scott Applegate, the bank’s president and chief executive, whom Gassmann credits as a mentor.
“He’s such a champion of community banking,” she said, noting that the coursework reinforces many of the same principles Applegate emphasizes at the bank, particularly the importance of keeping capital circulating locally.
A hometown career
Gassmann’s banking career began early. She first worked at the bank during high school. After graduation, she earned a business degree at Colorado State University with a concentration in accounting before returning to Estes Park.
Now 45, she is one of the bank’s leading loan producers and has spent more than five years as a senior officer. Her role as branch manager blends financial oversight with relationship-building in a town where personal connections remain central to business.
Gassman’s ties to the community extend beyond the bank. She is one of the founders of The Bridge of Estes, a local nonprofit organization that bridges the gap between the wellness needs of cancer patients and local providers, and provides support local providers.
Two years ago, she was one of the Estes Park Health Foundation Mrs. Rooftop Rodeo contestants. Gassmann raised $22,686.20 for the Crowns for the Care fundraiser, helping the organization bring in a total of $133,497.36 for cancer screenings for underserved and uninsured residents.
Her husband, CJ, works as plant superintendent for the local sanitation district, and the couple is raising two children in the community where she grew up. They have also been local business owners as proprietors of the Copper Penny and the Dairy Queen, both on Elkhorn Avenue.
Investing in community banking
The grant award follows a year of strong performance for the Bank of Estes Park, which reported increased lending activity, more than doubled its net income and regained its position as the largest market-share bank in the Estes Valley, according to company officials.
Programs like LIGHTR have become more common as local governments look to support small businesses in specialized industries such as banking, where training can be costly and highly technical.
For Gassmann, the investment represents more than career advancement. It reflects a broader effort to sustain community banking at a time when consolidation continues across the industry.
“What we’re learning is the exponential power that community banks have,” she said. “If you keep things local, it has a real impact on the community.”
As Gassman prepares for her second summer session in Boulder, Gassmann said she hopes to apply that knowledge close to home continuing a career that began in a small-town bank and is now helping shape its future.