Message From the New UBA Chair My name is Mark Packard. To introduce myself, let me share a little bit about the people closest to me. I am married to the amazing Wendy Lee Packard, who asked me out on our first date by sliding a deposit slip into the bank drive up with her name and phone number. What a gutsy move, how could I ever say no to a girl like that! We have three beautiful daughters who TRY to keep their father out of trouble. I have an amazing mentor and best friend who I have worked with for over 40 years, and just so happens to be my brother, Matt Packard. Come to think of it, he has tried to teach me lessons for almost 60 years. I am the last child of Cal and Betty Packard, who I love and miss dearly. I am a fifth-generation banker at Central Bank, which started in Springville in 1891. Our bank is built on the importance of culture and the stories that have created that culture, which gives us a firm foundation to charter our way forward in a complex and ever-changing industry. Culture is not only important in our individual banks, but it is also a vital component for the Utah Bankers Association. So, who are we as an association? And what has Utah Bankers grown up to be since its beginnings in 1909? Marriner Eccles, who formed First Security Bank in 1928 and later served as the chair of the Federal Reserve Board, stated in a speech given to the UBA in 1925, “The strength and usefulness of these organizations depend upon the cooperative efforts of the members. Our very progress is directly dependent upon our ability to work together. Today in a highly complex state of commercial and industrial organization, man depends not upon his own unaided strength, but upon his ability to work in great units. Progress is a growing participation of more and more people in more and more of the good things of life.” What a quote. Substituting Utah Bankers, let me reiterate one part: “The strength and usefulness of Utah bankers depends upon the cooperative efforts of the members. Our very progress is directly dependent upon our abilities to work together.” BY MARK PACKARD Chair, UBA, President/CEO, Central Bank Utah Banker 10
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