Sacramento region · Banking
James Beckwith
President and CEO, Five Star Bank
Has led Five Star Bank since 2003, through its 2021 public listing to $5.6 billion in assets.
James Beckwith is the president and CEO of Five Star Bank, a business bank with 10 offices across Northern California and $5.6 billion in assets. He has led the bank since 2003, and in November 2025 the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce named him Sacramentan of the Year.
By the numbers
The data
Five Star Bank offices by region
Source: Wikipedia (Five Star Bank, California). Capital Region: Roseville, Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, Natomas.
The story of James Beckwith
Before Five Star, Beckwith was chief financial officer and chief operating officer of National Bank of the Redwoods in Santa Rosa. Five Star Bank had been founded in 1999 in Rocklin by real estate developers Buzz Oates and Frank Ramos.
Under his leadership the bank grew from its Placer County start into offices in the Capital Region, the North State, the Bay Area and the Central Valley. In May 2021 its holding company, Five Star Bancorp, listed on the Nasdaq under the symbol FSBC.
The Chamber honored him at its 131st Annual Dinner on Jan. 23, 2026. He had earlier been named the Chamber’s Businessman of the Year in 2019.
Awards and recognition
Milestones
- 1999Five Star Bank founded in Rocklin.
- 2003Beckwith becomes president and CEO.
- 2019Metro Chamber Businessman of the Year.
- 2021Five Star Bancorp lists on the Nasdaq (May).
- 2025Named Sacramentan of the Year (Nov. 20).
- 2026Honored at the Chamber’s 131st Annual Dinner (Jan. 23); $5.6 billion in assets.
Companies and ventures
Lessons for business builders
- Specialize: a business bank that knows its industries can compete with national banks.
- Grow region by region, where you know the market and the people.
- Public markets reward a long, steady record.
Sources
- Five Star Bank (Wikipedia)
- Stock Titan: Beckwith named Sacramentan of the Year (Nov. 20, 2025)
- NFIB: James Beckwith biography
- California Bankers Association: Distinguished Banker of the Year
Photo: Five Star Bank’s Rancho Cordova office, by Matthewdixon37, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Figures marked firm-reported come from the company; all others from the sources above, checked November 2026.
