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BLAZE OF GLORY
Mike Brown has had quite a welcome to Scottsdale BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ PHOTO BY CARL SCHULTZ
“W
hen my wife, Patty, and I moved to the Valley from Denver in summer 2005, we knew it would be hot, but that was a bit of an understatement, to say the least,” says Mike Brown, whose new home went up in smoke–literally–within months of moving to Arizona. Thankfully, no one was hurt. But, the Browns were temporarily homeless. “We moved here so I could continue to build my banking career, and ended up needing to rebuild our entire lives,” he says. The learning lessons from the fire? People are more important than any things, live your passions, and help others. “I took these lessons to heart at home and work, and it changed my life,” says Brown, who was named the first-ever Arizona regional president of Washington Federal, a nearly 100-yearold company, last year. The role was well-deserved—not only has he grown the business considerably, but he worked to establish ATMs at all branch locations earlier this year, as well as launched a business banking initiative to help grow and fund Arizona’s economy and commercial real estate markets coming out of the recession.
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How have the first 18 months in office been? A whirlwind–we’ve grown to 35 branches and launched a business banking initiative out of Scottsdale. Given the economic events of recent years, where is banking today? Definitely an upturn. In fact, we just financed a nearly $10 million expansion of a client in the Phoenix-Goodyear Airport—a great sign! How have you instilled the idea of helping others into the fabric of Washington Federal? Our motto is “Invested Here,” and we ask each of our branches to put it into practice. A great example–we just made a $2.9 million investment in transitional housing for veterans in Tucson as part of our commitment to the area.
SO SCOTTSDALE! |
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| SEPTEMBER 2015
8/24/15 8:26 PM