Yosemite Farm Credit Los Ba&#241;os Branch Manager Bart Hertan gave the Enterprise the grand tour of the company's new building this week.</p><p>There's several offices, two conference rooms and a lot of space for files. It's just the way the company wanted it.</p><p>"We just wanted to have a nice facility for people to come meet with their banker," Hertan said. "I like the design, it's warm and comfortable. That was the thought, to have a nice comfortable, warm-feeling place where people come in and tell you what they want to do with their financing."</p><p>The recently-constructed building is located at 530 Washington Ave. and will open for business at noon today.</p><p>Yosemite Farm Credit is a farmer-owned co-operative that was founded in 1916. It provides loans to famers for equipment, land, building improvements, crop production and feed purchases. </p><p>The Los Ba&#241;os branch has about 200 members. Hertan said lately there haven't been many new members but it has allowed more time for the business to concentrate on the people it's already servicing.</p><p>"We had a lot of growth over the last five years, but it's slowing down right now," Hertan said. "Now it's just trying to keep the guys we do business with financed so that they have the capital they need to run their businesses."</p><p>Although it has not had the same impact seen at other types of lending institutions, the economy has taken a toll on the amount of ag loans being sought, according to Hertan.</p><p>"In uncertain times people don't want to expand too much," he said. "People are just kind of sitting back, not wanting to build that new building or buy that new piece of ground."</p><p>Hertan has been working for Yosemite Farm Credit for 15 years. He said he likes dealing with farmers and ranchers.</p><p>The company started sending him to Los Ba&#241;os from its office in Merced during the mid 1990s. Eventually the company set up a branch in the town, working out of a building on K Street that it did not own.</p><p>Hertan said he hopes the move to the new location demonstrates the committment Yosemite Farm Credit has made to doing business in Los Ba&#241;os.</p><p>"We're hoping to be here for the long haul," he said. "When you're dealing with people's money and dreams there's a little stress involved, but it's pretty rewarding."</p><p>Reporter Corey Pride can be reached at (209)388-6563 or by e-mail at cpride@losbanosenterprise.com