Excellence in Banking Community Banks & Credit Unions

Trust in Banking

As brick-and-mortar establishments had to severely limit their working hours during the lockdowns of recent years necessitated by COVID-19, digital banking picked up the slack to accommodate the financial needs of people working from home. “These circumstances unveiled the true importance of taking a digital-first approach,” explains Agne Selemonaitė, chief strategy officer at ConnectPay. “As the new wave of customers sieged the system, faster development of banking services took

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Excellence in Banking Profiles

Brandon Michaels

Brandon Michaels joined OneAZ Credit Union in May, bringing more than 20 years of leadership experience in banking and finance. He is passionate about driving technological innovations that provide members with outstanding banking experiences and improve their financial well-being. Michaels always aims to be a leader who challenges existing paradigms and invests in what matters most: company culture and the customer experience.  At OneAZ, Michaels aims to build on

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Neill LeCorgne

Neill LeCorgne is president and chief executive officer of Scottsdale Community Bank. He has nearly 40 years of experience in the financial industry, including 11 years as president and director of a multi-bank holding company in the State of Florida comprising a lead bank in South Florida and a de novo bank in South Carolina, four years as manager of a corporate banking team at a super-regional bank, 15

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Brian Crisp

Brian Crisp is the Arizona Region president for Enterprise Bank & Trust. In his role, Crisp is responsible for overseeing current clients’ business and personal banking needs as well as generating new commercial loan and deposit relationships. Crisp previously led the Commercial and Industrial banking team in the Arizona market, which focuses commercial banking solutions for small to mid-sized businesses throughout the state, including leveraged buyouts, acquisition financing, owner-occupied

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James Christensen

James Christensen is the president of Gateway Bank, the only community bank in Mesa, Arizona. Under his leadership, Gateway has thrived through multiple economic downturns and is consistently one of the strongest-performing financial institutions in its peer group. Christensen has worked in the banking industry for more than 36 years, mostly in commercial lending and management. Hailing from the Midwest, he was president of a community bank in Kansas

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Jeff Meshey

Jeff Meshey is the president and CEO of Desert Financial Credit Union — a full-service, Arizona-based financial institution founded in 1939. Desert Financial currently operates 47 branch locations throughout Maricopa, Pinal, Gila, Coconino and Yavapai counties. Meshey is a certified public accountant and launched his career with Ernst & Young, specializing in audits of financial institutions. Meshey joined Desert Financial in 1994 and became CEO in 2017. His tenured

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Chad Forkenbrock

Arizona Financial, formerly Arizona Federal, is a $3.3-billion, not-for-profit, Arizona-based credit union providing consumer and small business banking services and expertise to more than 160,000 member/owners. Founded in Arizona in 1936, the credit union empowers members to take hold of their financial future through the delivery of leading-edge self-service tools and mobile apps, competitive rates on loans and deposits, robust home loan solutions, identity protection services, and SBA and

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Banking Matters to Business

In Business Magazine is proud to present the “Excellence in Banking” special section showcasing top bankers and bank executives in the Valley. These top professionals work day in and day out with business owners to assist in ways that can only be classified as a true asset to business. We sought out professionals at community banks and credit unions with a strong local presence and hand-picked the following as examples of the incredible work that our banking community does, and in a financial climate that is mired in regulation and change.

Thanks go out to all the banks in metropolitan Phoenix, who responded to our request for suggestions and assistance in compiling this section and for working with us throughout the years on various articles and editorial so that our readership is in the know when it comes to banking business. We also thank the Arizona Bankers Association and Paul Hickman for their leadership and steadfast support of the banking community here. With technology and government regulation, banks are quickly adapting to change, and business truly benefits from their incredible work.

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