NorthStar Bank Announces the Appointment of Six New Members to its Board of Directors

TAMPA, FL, August 31, 2011

NorthStar Bank has announced the appointment of six new members to its Board of Directors. These six individuals, along with the rest of the Board, will provide oversight and strategic direction for the Bank in order to meet its mission, which is to be a high quality, customer service oriented community bank, serving primarily personal, small and mid-sized professional and commercial customers in the Greater Tampa Bay area.

The new Board Members are as follows:

Dr. James Brookins is the current President of the Bay Area Medical Association and Past President of the Florida State Medical Association. Dr. Brookins is the past Owner/CMO and Vice President of Medical Affairs for Access Health Solutions, a minority-owned managed care network of 800 Primary Care Physicians, serving more than 120,000 Medicaid patients throughout the State of Florida.

James Cantonis is President of Acme Sponge & Chamois, Co., Inc. He currently sits on several Boards, including the Boards of Morton Plant Mease and North Bay Hospitals, as well as Morton Plant Mease Primary Care. He is past board chair of both Berkeley Preparatory School and Ruth Eckerd Hall, and was a Founding Board Member of Citizens Bank of Clearwater.

Herbert Goetschius is the Vice Chairman of McNichols Company, North America's leading supplier of metal products with holes. Mr. Goetschius oversees the customer centric strategic planning initiatives, public and community relations, and national affairs for this 300-plus-employee company, headquartered in Tampa.

Joseph Merluzzi is the past Headmaster of Berkeley Preparatory School. Mr. Merluzzi sits on the CLW Board of Advisors. Mr. Merluzzi has been actively involved in local, state and national independent school organizations in which he has held various offices. He has presented at independent school conferences, conventions and seminars.

Carl Singley is legal counsel to the firm of Ciardi Ciardi & Astin, a boutique bankruptcy and commercial litigation firm in Philadelphia. Mr. Singley's practice concentration has been in the areas of civil and commercial litigation, appellate advocacy, government contracts and business transactions. Mr. Singley is a former director of the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank. Mr. Singley splits his time between his homes in Philadelphia and Apollo Beach, Florida.

Dr. Rebecca White is the James W. Walter Distinguished Chair in Entrepreneurship and a Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Tampa. Dr. White is the founder and director of the Women's Entrepreneurship Institute, an educational program for female entrepreneurs offered jointly with the New York Times.

NorthStar Bank, opened in 2007, is an independent community bank in Tampa, Florida with assets exceeding $175 million. NorthStar Bank was founded on the principle of building solid customer relationships while providing outstanding personalized service along with utilizing the latest banking innovations and technology.