Tuesday was the traditional Activities Day, with attendees and family members partaking in a fun run, whitewater rafting trip, golf tournament, horseback riding, trap shooting, pickleball tournament and — new this year — UTV off-road rides! Following a little downtime and some necessary cleanup — particularly for the UTV riders — bankers and guests gathered for the Chairman’s Reception & Dinner, honoring UBA Immediate Past Chair Andrea Moss (Nelnet Bank) and ABA Chair Julie Thurlow (Reading Cooperative Bank). After dinner, several bankers were recognized for their service to the UBA and the industry, including UBA Chair Andrea Moss, Immediate Past Chair Matt Bloye, UBA Board Members Kay Hall and Spencer White, and Emerging Bank Leaders Chair Tyson Broderick. In addition, three bankers were presented with 40 Year Service Awards. 40 YEAR SERVICE AWARD HONOREES • Rob Bowen — CEO, Brighton Bank • Peter Morgan — Executive Director of National Lending, Zions Bank • Michael Poll — Director of Credit (Private Banking), Zions Bank We also took a moment to acknowledge Becky Wilkes for the indelible contributions she has made to the Utah Bankers Association. She is retiring at the end of the year, and she will be sorely missed by her team and bankers throughout Utah. The evening’s program closed with the presentation of the Distinguished Banker Award to State Bank of Southern Utah President & CEO Eric Schmutz — see page 12 for more. But then it was time for everyone to hightail it over to the Sun Valley Pavilion for a night of rock ‘n’ roll with Liverpool Legends, the premier Beatles tribute act. Bankers were dancing in the aisles and singing along to Beatles classics, a rocking ending to a magical night. Wednesday’s Business Session brought the convention to a close. ABA Chair Julie Thurlow implored the audience to continue advocating and innovating in the face of the current policy and regulatory environment. Robert Spendlove provided an economic outlook that was lukewarm at best but the situation in Utah leaves room for hope. Andrea Moss reflected on her year as UBA Chair, presenting a “Top 10 Reasons for Optimism” list, and then it was time to elect the 2024-2025 UBA Board of Directors. The assembled bankers installed Mark Packard (President/CEO, Central Bank) as chair (see page 9 for the complete list), and he took a moment to discuss the UBA’s rich history and all that we can accomplish together. Packard introduced the convention’s closing speaker — Jim Olson, former CIA chief of counterintelligence. Olson and his wife lived as spies for more than 30 years, and he recounted the challenges, hardships and opportunities that life created for his children, family and friends. “Our country faces grave danger,” he said, “[but] we will prevail ... because our best young people are stepping forward.” Mark your calendar! The 117th Annual UBA Convention will return to Sun Valley on June 22-25, 2025. Continued from page 6 Utah Banker 8
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