PUB. 11 2021-2022 Issue 2

coloradobankers.org 2 Industry Advocacy Starts with ‘People-People’ A Word From CBA By Jenifer Waller, President Colorado Bankers Association B ankers are “people-people.” What I mean by that is bankers select this line of work because they genuinely care about the people they work with and serve every day. They choose to become – and stay – bankers because they enjoy taking an active role in helping customers meet their goals and achieve their dreams. While the circumstances were unprecedented, the past 18 months have been a textbook case of bankers’ customer- and community-focused sweat equity. Without hesitation, bankers reiterated and reinforced their dedication to their customers in cities and towns across the country by rolling up their sleeves to facilitate the Paycheck Protection Program and other economic stimulus programs to help Americans financially navigate and survive the COVID-19 pandemic. Bankers pivoted quickly to meet the changing needs of their customers as the pandemic raged on – even signing documents on hoods of cars – to keep the economy moving, and people took notice. After more than a decade of bearing the brunt of misguided and misdirected blame following the 2008 economic crash, our industry is enjoying some hard- earned and well-deserved support. It is important that we capitalize on this positive public sentiment to build solid and lasting relationships with public officials essential to our industry’s viability. One opportunity to do so is participating in our Center for Bank Advocacy program, which will be relaunching in August – including the return of in-person visits to the state capitol and to Washington D.C. to meet with lawmakers, regulators and Colorado’s Members of Congress. Now entering its ninth year, the first- of-its-kind program has become a model for others across the country in developing an advocacy model, not