Mechanics Bank strengthened its wine industry presence with the appointment of Dan Aguilar, a banking professional whose 20 years of wine industry lending experience have included corporate finance, banking, lending and cash management services to a wide array of West Coast wine enterprises. Aguilar will serve as senior vice president and regional manager, Commercial Banking in Napa, CA.

“Mechanics Bank has deep roots in the Napa Valley, and we consider the North Bay to be a key component of our growth strategy in commercial banking. We are making a statement that we are investing in the resources to better serve this important market,” said Larry Fountain, EVP and director of Commercial Banking at Mechanics Bank.

For 20 years, Aguilar was managing director of Silicon Valley Bank’s wine division, where he gained renown as an industry expert. He served on the board of the Russian River Valley Winegrowers for nine years and has been a sought-after speaker about wine industry profitability and performance benchmarking at industry conferences. He also has partnered with Sonoma State’s Wine Business Program to provide important insights on what sets top performers apart from others in the industry and how wineries can adjust their operations to mitigate the impact of the Great Recession.

Prior to his position at Silicon Valley Bank, Aguilar was vice president at Comerica Bank in San Francisco, and before that, assistant vice president at Bank of America.