Trish Stark

First Western Trust believes every client is unique. Since 2002, we’ve used a team approach to build a customized plan to clients’ banking, wealth management, lending and investment management goals. Through a branded network of private boutique offices, we deliver the sophistication of a large financial institution along with the personalization of a private bank to best serve our clients’ needs.

Trish Stark is managing director for First Western Trust’s Scottsdale, Ariz., office, a private boutique that provides personalized service and unique solutions to Western wealth-management clients. She believes in building deep-rooted relationships and understands the full lifecycle of a business and the busy life of business owners. Stark works to understand what matters most to clients. Responsiveness is one of her most valued qualities layered with her knowledge about finance and business. She bundles those attributes to build the right team and gathers the right resources to solve her clients’ business issues and related personal issues. This superpower stems from her sincere interest in helping clients achieve their professional and personal goals. The solutions she creates alleviate her clients’ pain points. 

In 2020, she was referred to a local hospital in need of a Main Street loan, a program established to provide economic support in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She connected the hospital to a senior lender and worked with both the client and lender over a six-month period. The overall process, ensuring all the due diligence requirements remained on track, and underwriting the loan proved to be highly demanding. Simultaneously, Stark’s team had to educate themselves on the Small Business Administration’s program requirements. Despite the daunting process, the payoff was huge. The loan was approved. The client was extremely happy with the end result.

If asked about that particular deal, Stark would say making a difference and helping the hospital achieve its objectives was what mattered most. Approval of that Main Street loan positively affected the hospital’s ability to care for its patients. 

For her efforts, both the chairman of the board — who was also the owner of the hospital — and the chief executive office engaged Stark to help address some of their personal banking needs. The relationship with the hospital also deepened when Stark worked with the human resources director to identify a need and connected him with First Western’s Retirement Services team. The work on that deal allowed the director to entrust First Western with some fiduciary responsibilities, providing him with peace of mind and compliance assurance, and freeing him to focus on other areas. Where others might have seen only a problem, Stark saw a solution. Her innate ability to problem-solve, see what mattered most to the client and build the right team demonstrated her incredible client focus. 

Stark knows that business owners want clear, direct communication and options. When that’s not possible, they value her as a trusted advisor who will refer them to someone who can meet their needs. It is one of the many reasons clients contact her or send referrals to her. She sees opportunities and works to create or improve a situation. Her team-oriented approach allows her to structure and design solutions that deliver the best possible results for her clients. Her unyielding commitment, business acumen and work ethic allow her to exceed client expectations time and time again. She is definitely the right person in the right seat.

About:

Banker of Excellence: Trish Stark
Position: Managing Director
Company Name: First Western Trust
Main Local Office Address: 7025 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ  85250
Phone: (480) 596-1800
Website: www.myfw.com
Number of Offices in Metro Phoenix: 2
Year Established Locally: 2008
Headquartered: Denver, CO
No. of Years with Firm: 14
Industry Expertise: Commercial Banking; Business Accounts; SBA Lending, etc.