Pub. 11 2021-2022 Issue 1

O V E R A C E N T U R Y : B U I L D I N G B E T T E R B A N K S — H E L P I N G C O L O R A D A N S R E A L I Z E D R E A M S May • June 2021 7 WE MAKE IT EASY LET OUR TEAM HELP YOU SECURE THE DEAL AND LOWER YOUR RISK • UP TO 90% OVERALL FINANCING • UP TO 25 YEAR TERM • FIXED-RATE PREFERREDLENDINGPARTNERS.COM | 303.861.4100 Leveraged financing and refinancing of owner occupied real estate and long-term equipment. Most for-profit small businesses eligible. SBA defines businesses with net profit after tax <$5.0 Million and tangible net worth <$15.0 Million as small. SBA 504 financial crises and the pandemic: local matters. Local is where you turn when you want stability and sensibility, and that’s what community banks provide. An academic friend of mine groups farmers’ markets, craft breweries and community banks together. And, when you think about that, what’s not to love about any of them? Q: What do you see as GSBC’s role in addressing these issues? A: I think the critical issues show it is more important to teach bankers how to think through complicated questions instead of “how to do.” There will undoubtedly be different challenges in 10 years. While I have little certainty about what they will be, GSBC can offer the experience and the network to work through them. GSBC has an afternoon session this year for second-and third-year students titled “Hard Questions.” The premise of this class is that as a leader, you won’t get any of the easy stuff. Instead, you get the questions others don’t want to answer, but that need answered, nonetheless. These questions require leadership, and what GSBC does is educate the next generation of community bank leaders. Today, those questions center around climate risk management, diversity and inclusion, cryptocurrency, and the workplace of the future. Next year, the questions may be entirely different, and GSBC’s curriculum will again be designed to address them. Q: What are you most looking forward to as GSBC’s president? A: I have referred to this as “Phase Three” of my career. People seem to increasingly view staying in the same profession for your entire career as wasteful or shortsighted, but I value it tremendously. I am very excited about this opportunity. GSBC and all the banking schools have had an impact on the industry and communities for generations. I work with a talented, experienced staff that knows it is making a difference. Becoming GSBC’s president is an honor and a privilege. A record-setting number of virtual and in-person students will attend classes from July 18-30. GSBC has instated numerous changes to its sessions to accommodate both virtual and in-person audiences, including a new peer group program to facilitate building relationships among new students, and enhanced health and safety measures for on-campus students. For more information on GSBC’s Annual School Session and its other program offerings, visit GSBColorado.org. n