First Business Financial Services (FBIZ) in Madison, Wis., is looking for a new chief financial officer.<br /><br />James Ropella, plans to retire as First Business' CFO during the fourth quarter, the company said in a press release Thursday. Ropella will remain in his current role as the company searches for his successor. After the transition, he will join his family in California. He had been commuting to the West Coast for the past three years, the company said.<br /><br />Ropella joined First Business as CFO in 2000. The company went public and has grown from $300 million in assets to $1.3 billion during his time there.<br /><br />He "is a skilled and savvy financial executive whose professionalism and expertise have been instrumental in the success of our organization, as well as the creation of long-term value for our shareholders," Corey Chambas, First Business' president and chief executive, said in the release. "We deeply appreciate his role in building First Business into a strong and thriving publicly-held bank."