of Nebraska-Lincoln, shortly after graduating from Crete High School. After transferring to Concordia University and switching his major from business education to business management, Sears maintained a full-time role at the bank. One of Sears’ roles early in his career (circa 1993) was helping with bank conversions and starting a debit card center. Very few banks offered them at the time; most had only a credit card or an ATM-specific card. That role allowed Sears to strengthen his relationship-building skills; he connected with multiple banks and helped set them up in the debit card system, which combined ATM and point-of-sale functionality for added flexibility. Then, in 1996, Union Bank & Trust offered him a job as a supervisor in the Lincoln area, and the rest is history. Now, three decades later, Sears and his wife Jackie — whom he met while working his first bank job — call Lincoln home. Throughout his career, Sears said the biggest change in the banking industry has been the pace of technological change. Before, physical bank branches served as the main point of interaction between bankers and customers. Now, there are bank branches, online banking, text alerts and more, all evolving to meet varied customer preferences and needs. “There’s new technology coming out all the time. It’s a constant change now, where before the adoption of new technologies was very slow. I think it’s better for the consumers now that they have more choices about where and how they want to do their banking,” Sears said. From left: Scott Zimbelman, Homestead Bank (Cozad), NBA Chair-Elect; Mark Linville, First State Bank (Randolph), NBA Past Chair; Travis Sears, Union Bank & Trust (Lincoln), NBA Chair; and Richard Baier, NBA President & CEO 9 NEBRASKA BANKER
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