Brian Vance with Director RJ McHatton
I had never been to downtown Olympia before. It was a beautiful sunny day. We were there in Olympia to interview Brian Vance, the CEO of Heritage Bank, for the Puget Sound Business Journal’s “Best Workplaces” video project. Brian did a great interview. Brian is originally from a farm and ranching family in Southern Idaho. He calls himself a cowboy because that is where his roots came from. Brian told me how he had started in the banking business as a teller and over the years he had worked almost every job in the bank. Now he is the CEO of one of the fastest growing community banks in the country. He was proud that his bank just became a “Billion Dollar” bank, which is a huge milestone in his industry. We talked about how his company has become a “Best Workplace.” Brian said it all came down to the values of integrity, listening to your people, and doing the right thing. He talked about the importance of keeping constant communication with the team and keeping to the fundamental vision. Brian talked about the 80 year history of the Heritage Bank and how proud he was to see it growing still, even in tough economic times. I could tell that Brian was very passionate about the importance of honesty and integrity and having fun with his team. Some of the Heritage team made sure I heard about Brian’s famous “Pancake” recipe. Brian talked about the company picnics and Pancake parties. Sounds like a great place to work.