Pub. 2 2014 Issue 3

www.uba.org 16 Utah & Montana Bankers Association’s 2014 Convention B ankers from across Utah and Montana joined together for the Utah & Montana Bankers Association’s 2014 Conven- tion. This year’s convention was held June 29-July 2 in Sun Valley Idaho. The banking landscape is changing, and those who attended the convention took a look at strategies for surviv- ing and thriving in the months and years to come. Each year the vendor expo is the hub of activity as bankers arrive and register. Thirty eight exhibitors lured attendees to their booths for a chance at a one on one conversation with prize drawings, bean bag toss and a casino wheel, just to name a few. Plus attendees that visited each booth and deposited a business card were entered into the grand prize $1,000 Visa card which was ultimately won by Eric Wright, Rock Canyon Bank. As the sun set and the mountain breezes blew, attendees and guests gathered at the beautiful Trail Creek Campground for a delicious western BBQ. On Monday things got down to business. The opening speaker was John C. Williams, Chairman, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Following Mr. Williams, a Washington Update provided by ABA Chairman, Jeff Plagge. After a delightful BBQ lunch at the Sun Valley Lodge Terrace, Anthony Chan Ph.D., Chief Economist, JPMorgan Chase, spoke on the economic outlook and was followed by Patrick Bettin, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer, Michael G. Foster School of Business, who gave an inspiring speech about leadership that shapes the future. For families and bankers alike, perhaps the highlight of the day was the famous and traditional UBA Bingo event. Over 500 bankers, spouses and family members joined in for an afternoon of fun and prizes. Tuesday was open for recreation including trap and skeet shoot, bowling, ice skating, bicycle riding and paddle boats. The annu- al UBA golf tournament also took place and this year’s winning team included Randall Gaston, Prime Alliance Bank, Jeff Gas- ton, Jason Price, Prime Alliance Bank and Chandler Price. The annual Chairman’s reception and dinner gala were held on Tuesday evening. Outgoing Chairman Anthony Hall was honored and ten bankers were honored with 40 Year Service Awards (see page 18). The evening was topped off with family entertainment provided by Brass Transit in the beautiful Sun Valley Pavilion. Wednesday morning bank CEOs and past chairmen met for a planning session for the coming year. Later in the general session, Virginia Heyburn, Senior Vice President of Strategic Insights, Fiserv, spoke about today’s technology landscape and its management challenges. Following Ms. Heyburn, the much anticipated Scott Farris, Author, took the stage and gave lessons from success and failure in presidential politics. A special thanks goes out to the vendors and sponsors that made this year’s event possible.