RBAZ Culture Club’s Dynamic Team Promotes Community
12/17/23
By Amy Lou Blunt, EVP and Chief Credit Officer
As you have already read, RBAZ has reported very strong loan growth, both in 3Q2023 and 2023 YTD. The loan portfolio is performing extremely well with no portfolio loans past due 30 days or more, and classified loans are 0.1% of total loans. We have a robust loan pipeline that will take us through the end of the year. With that being said, I would like to turn your attention to my “other job”, as executive sponsor for the RBAZ Culture Club.
I am very proud of the team of volunteers who share their creativity and time developing and supporting the many functions of the Culture Club.
Our mission is to promote a fun, productive and cohesive workplace culture, and a contagious enthusiasm for participation, creativity, and philanthropy, which extends beyond our bank’s walls throughout the community we serve.
The club is charged with identifying opportunities and planning events to promote a dynamic team mindset that evolves and grows through various opportunities for socializing, team building, education, and community outreach. We formalized this effort in October 2018, and have sponsored numerous events and promoted many causes over the years.
We organize a quarterly staff luncheon, during which senior management details the prior quarter’s financial performance, deposit gathering and lending results, KPI’s and upcoming corporate events. It’s a great time to celebrate work anniversaries and staff birthdays, and report on Culture Club events.
Looking back at 2023, we provided treats for all major holidays and some ‘special’ days and organized our first offsite bank-wide picnic and potluck for employees and their families.
Our Back-to-School backpack drive to benefit AZ Helping Hands and the foster families in their sphere raised over $600 plus two dozen backpacks and supplies. In the Fall, we participated in three separate walks: 1) to support St. Jude’s cancer research for children 2) to support the A21 Project and its mission to counter human trafficking on an international level; and 3) to End Colon Cancer.
Our annual participation in St. Mary’s Food Drive was another huge success, buoyed by a team CANstruction competition, judged by the Directors. With a canned goods replica of the landmark water tank, the Gilbert branch was named the winner! We are participating in the Salvation Army’s Christmas Angel Tree Program again this year, including Forgotten Angels, for those thousands of children whose Christmas Angel tags remain unreturned, and Silver Bells, for seniors.
So, as you see, we have wide-ranging interests, with great support from the Culture Club volunteers – Jennie Timlin, Belinda Blades, Kayla Ortega, Todd Grady, and Angela Whitney (emeritus), as well as the involvement of the entire staff, directors, clients, and community leaders. We are honored to be of service to our community and each other.