California Business Bank

Directors

Click on the names below for a brief bio of our Board of Directors:

Chairman of the Board

Raffi is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Investment Real Estate Associates (IREA), an investment advisory and brokerage services firm specializing in the acquisition and disposition of large income producing properties. With offices in Encino, CA and Miami, FL, IREA has been responsible in the initiation and execution of several billion dollars of transactions serving a broad range of national and international clients. Prior to joining the investment real estate industry in 1986, he was involved in international banking for ten years, holding various executive positions both in the U.S. and abroad, with First Interstate Bank in Los Angeles, and First City Bancorporation in Houston, TX. He has served on the advisory board of First American Bank, and is active in various local and national civic and professional organizations. Raffi holds a BS degree from Northeast Missouri State University, and a MS from School of International Service, the American University, Washington, D.C.
Chairman of the Board

Steve S. Hong

Vice Chairman of the Board

Steve is the President/CEO and owner of United Fabricare Supply Inc., the largest wholesale dry cleaning, laundry, and dyestuff supplier in the U.S. He established the Compton-based company in 1983. Since then, he has also established the following companies involved in laundry supply and dry cleaning: United Cleaner Supply, Inc., Poway, CA (chartered in 1993); United Cleaner Supply, Inc., Henderson, NV (chartered in 1996); and HK Imperial Cleaners, Inc., Los Angeles, CA (chartered in 1998). He is an active member of the Los Angeles community and serves on the Board of Directors of L.A. County Sheriff Youth Foundation. He was named 2003 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Korean American Chamber of Commerce in Los Angeles. Steve obtained his BA from Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea and also attended Gannon University in Erie, PA.
Vice Chairman of the Board

Mladen Buntich Jr.

Director

Mladen is the President and CEO of Mladen Buntich Construction Co., Inc., a General Engineering Contractor specializing in highly technical infrastructure projects throughout Southern California. He is also an owner of Nada Pacific Corporation, one of the top microtunneling contractors on the West Coast. He has 20 years of leadership experience in the construction industry, ranging from management of numerous high profile infrastructure projects to his current position as Chief Executive Officer. Mladen earned a BS in Business Administration and Finance from Loyola Marymount University. He serves on the Board of the Engineering Contractors' Association, an organization devoted to serving the collective interests of the construction industry in Southern California.
Director

Gary K. Cross

Director

Gary is the President/CEO, CFO and Board member of Bulk Transportation, a Walnut, CA-based company involved in transportation of bulk and liquid commodities. He is also a Partner and General Manager of DTI Associates, LLC, a trucking company based in Compton. He has had 35 years on-the-job training at Bulk and DTI, including Diesel Engine Mechanic, Professional Truck Driver, Dispatcher, Terminal Manager, Operations Manager, General Manager, Corporate Secretary/Treasurer and Board Member, President/CEO and Trustee to the 401k and other Trusts. He has also served on the Board of Directors of National Tank Truck Carriers in Washington D.C.
Director

Thomas J. Holthus

Director

Thomas is an attorney licensed to practice law in the states of California, Nevada, and Nebraska. He has represented financial institutions primarily from a mortgage default perspective for the past 20 years. Currently, he is a Managing Partner at the law firm of McCarthy & Holthus, LLP based in San Diego, CA. Thomas is on the Board of Directors for Cornerstone Bank N.A. and its holding company, First York Bancorp, both located in York, NE.
Director

Ellwood W. Johnston

Director

Ellwood is the co-owner of Old English Rancho, which has been in the Thoroughbred Horse business for over 50 years and has bred over 200 stakes winners. He developed, planned, and constructed two major California farms in Ontario and Fresno. Old English Rancho owns and co-owns over 200 thoroughbred horses and manages another 350 for its clients. It operates two large racetrack stables, in southern and northern California. He joined the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association in 1970 where he has served as director and president. He is a director and co-founder of the Shoemaker Foundation, a national nonprofit public charity established in 1991 to help people in the racing industry who are in need of assistance because of illness or injury.
Director

Yu-Ching Lau

Executive Vice President, CFO & Director

Yu-Ching has over 32 years of professional experience, including 27 years in financial institutions. For more than 13 years, she served as Chief Financial Officer for a number of commercial banking institutions. Prior to joining the Bank, her career in banking and financial services included management responsibility of a more than $1.7 billion multi-state bank and holding company with 17 branches in five states, and founding Chief Financial Officer of a commercial bank headquartered in Los Angeles. She has established accounting, investment, financial and regulatory reporting, asset/liability management, strategic planning, budgeting, payroll, insurance, employee benefits administration and their respective policies and procedures. She currently serves on the board of a charitable foundation focused on serving the seniors in assisted living facility. Yu-Ching holds an MBA in Accounting and Finance from UCLA and a BS in Business Administration from National Taiwan University. She has been a resident of Los Angeles since 1970.
Executive Vice President, CFO & Director

Michael F. Maluccio

Director

Michael is a past Chairman of Verdugo Banking Company, a successful locally owned community bank in Glendale, where he was one of the original founders in 1990 and was Chairman at time of its sale in 2003 to First Community Corporation. He is currently Chairman of Maluccio Company, an investment, consulting, and property management company in La Crescenta, CA. For nearly 30 years, he was also involved with Southwest Industrial Supply Corporation, a successful industrial distribution company serving the Aircraft, Electronics, and Automotive industries with 12 locations in the five western states; he was President and majority stockholder when the company was sold to Do-All Corporation in 1990. Michael has been a resident of the Glendale foothill area since 1964 and is very active in the local community.
Director

William W. Naylor

Director

William is the Chairman of Naylor Establishment, a Los Angeles-based group that is involved in the restaurant, insurance, and golf industries. He was elected as Chairman of the Board of the National Restaurant Association (NRA) for the 1996-97 term and during that time served as the restaurant industry's chief spokesperson. A Director of the NRA since 1983, he has served as Chairman of the Finance, Government Relations, Political Education, Political Action, Membership and Executive committees. In addition, he serves on the Board of Education Foundation of the NRA, promoting its school-to-work initiatives, safety in the workplace, and dissemination of its programs worldwide. He is also past president of the California Restaurant Association (CRA), where he was instrumental in forging it into a unified and effective statewide organization by chairing a three-person committee to oversee the merger of several regional restaurant groups.
Director

Kenneth D. Thompson

Director

Kenneth is the President and CEO of Ken Thompson, Inc., an engineering contracting company based in Corona, CA. He is also Director of the Board and is the sole holder of the company's Contractor's license. He has been the primary force behind the extraordinary growth enjoyed by Ken Thompson, Inc. Kenneth is also Vice President of KTI Inc. of Rialto, CA, which is a corporation that owns and manages several concrete pipe manufacturing plants in Texas and in California, and has plans to expand with additional concrete pipe plants.
Director

Charles R. Wood

President, CEO & Director

Charles has an extensive background in banking, with overall experience that exceeds 26 years, including 13 years as an Executive Officer of various financial institutions. He has served as Chief Credit Officer for seven banks. His management skills have been applied to administering bank departments such as credit/lending, operations, and marketing. He has also been instrumental in developing various plans and models. He has evaluated existing operations as well as developed prudent action plans for the successful reorganization of departments to reduce operating costs while improving efficiency. Charles holds a BS in Business Administration from California State Polytechnic University.
President, CEO & Director

M. Aaron Yashouafar

Director

Aaron has been involved in real estate investment, property development, and property management since 1983. In 2000, he became the Chief Executive Officer of Milbank Real Estate Services, which has been involved in the acquisition, management, and development of more than 10 million square feet of residential high rise, commercial office, and retail space throughout California, Nevada, Arizona, and New York. He is one of the major partners in the development of the only luxury high-rise residential project to be developed directly on the Las Vegas Strip. In late 2001, he also became a major stockholder of The Mortgage Store Financial, Inc. and was subsequently appointed to the Board of Directors. He is the founder of The Yashouafar Family Endowment Fund for Ben Gurian University, a member of the Board of Directors for the Nessah Cultural and Educational Center, a member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation, and a founding member and a member of the Board of Directors for the Hollywood Entertainment District.
Director