A CEO WITH A PASSION FOR SERVICE, TEAMWORK AND COMMUNITY AN INTERVIEW WITH THE NEW OBL CHAIR, BRIAN YOUNG

Audra Johnson, OBL’s Director of Communications, sat down with newly elected Chair of the Board of Directors, Brian Young, for a discussion about life, banking and everything in between.

I could tell immediately this discussion was going to be different as I was setting up to interview Brian. We had planned to do some photographs of him individually while I was at The Union Bank Company in Columbus Grove, Ohio, yet Brian insisted he wanted only photos of his team. “Please don’t focus solely on me, please focus on my team. Without them, I wouldn’t be in the position I am today.”

That comment set the tone for the rest of the conversation with Brian. His comments on any successes always started with “we” or ended with “us”, and it was clear that his faith based convictions drove his desire to serve others with humility and kindness. He insisted that even that desire should not be credited to him, he was simply trying to share the grace that he had so freely received. In fact, he looks at his newly elected position within the OBL as a way to serve the Association and the entire Ohio banking industry, which have created numerous opportunities for The Union Bank Company and him personally over his 21-year career.

As I interviewed Brian one thing was clear, President & CEO is his title but being a trusted leader is his daily motivation.

Take us back to the beginning, how did you get your start? Did you always want to be in banking?

It is no secret that I never saw myself being a community banker. I have told many people that it was purely accidental, but a very fortunate accident. I am a CPA by trade and was contacted by the bank’s then CEO with an opportunity to join The Union Bank Company as CFO. That was in October of 2001. I was raised on a farm only five miles from the bank’s operation center, so the decision was a homecoming for me. I have the privilege of working at the bank while also farming ground that has been in our family since 1865. Being a farm kid from a small town in Northwest Ohio, raised by two faithful parents was a great way to understand the importance of integrity, hard work, compassion and need for community. I am thankful for everyone who has invested themselves in my life over the years. That includes the OBL.

What do you foresee during your chairmanship at the Ohio Bankers League? What are your goals?

First, I want to say that I am grateful to have this opportunity to give back to the OBL, which has strengthened my banking acumen and network tremendously over the years. Hopefully I can bring positive change to numerous areas, but if I had to choose one, it would be to inspire other bankers to continue to see value in all those that they come in contact with at the OBL and find ways to serve each other. Our industry has a wonderful tradition of the willingness of banker helping banker through tough times. I think that trait in our industry needs to continue to strengthen by finding ways to work together to meet the current challenges. We need to push back against the notion that our industry is simply a zero-sum model.

What do you see as the strongest differentiator in community banking today?

I believe it is our ability to form long lasting relationships with customers. Community banks proved that during the pandemic with the PPP loan program. It was a very scary time for many, and customers were looking to their bank for reassurance and for guidance. Community banks stepped up to the plate and answered the call. Many of our team members were taking customer calls on their cell phones well after business hours, on the weekends and even on holidays. The relationships they had built over years of trusted service gave our clients peace of mind that we were there with them all the way. That is what community banking is all about. In a day where digital technology is touted as the ultimate experience, I still believe that nothing will ever replace face-to-face interaction with your trusted advisor when you need it most. Sure, we have invested in digital infrastructure because we understand it helps our clients manage on the day-to-day, but we’re always going to be here with our doors open when someone needs that personal touch.

I can tell that your team means a lot to you, how do you find talent that fits into your company culture?

When interviewing, we try to look for people who can live out our core values. Those include respect, accountability, caring for and serving others. Success through service, giving more than we take. Yes, we’re a for-profit company, and we can never lose sight of that. However, we believe that we must first add value before we can justify keeping some of that value for our services. So, when interviewing, we do our best to find people that are humble but hungry for opportunity. We don’t always get it right and our approach may not be everyone’s “cup of tea” but at the end of the day, we can say we are consistent in keeping with our core values. It is hard not to feel successful in this area when I look around the room in our leadership meetings and see a room full of talented, compassionate, and motivated members, I am truly privileged to serve with them.

If you were to write an article, “Five Things You Need to Have a Successful Career in Banking” what would those five things be?

I believe that before anyone can even think about the needs to be successful, they must first answer some simple questions of why? Why am I doing this? and Why does it matter? Overtime I figured out that my “why” is that I wanted to have a positive impact on as many people as I can while bringing value to our shareholders, clients, team members and community. While every path will not be the right one, keep going until you find the most effective way to answer your own whys.

1. Integrity - You need to interact with the highest possible degree of integrity in everything that you do and speak. That is the foundation that will allow you to build a successful career over the long run and allow you to sleep well at night. Always remember that integrity is a proactive process, work hard at your personal integrity because it always matters.

2. Passion - Pursue the important things in your life with intensity. Often the most important things in life are hard, however, if you believe in what you are doing it is worth the effort.

3. Creativity - Never stop creating, innovating or being willing to change. The most valuable part of you is your ability to make things better through creative solutions to problems. We always look for those who are problem solvers, they simply make everything better. And remember nothing needs to be wasted, especially failure.

4. Humility - Frankly speaking it is not all about you. When we focus on putting other’s needs ahead of our own, we inspire others.

5. Balance - Make sure you take time to be available for your family and try not to miss the small opportunities to be a mom, dad, friend, sister, or brother.

How do you think a person with a successful career in banking might measure that success?

Seeing people where they are and truly caring for them is a very powerful concept. We may never know the total positive impact that we have had on our communities, state or nation, but I do know that change must start somewhere. Why not me? Simply the idea gets me energized. Success often cannot be measured with an incentive plan or an annual review. Each day is a new day to learn and to be led to make an eternal impact on those around me. The blessings from those situations could never be fully captured in a salary or incentive.

What keeps you up at night? Are there things you worry about when it comes to the future of community banking?

That’s an easy one. I continue to be very concerned about the negative impacts of the ever-increasing regulatory burden on a typical community bank’s ability to effectively serve their clients, especially in smaller communities. While I choose to believe that the regulators in Washington D.C. are trying to protect our most vulnerable clients, unfortunately they cater regulation toward the largest of institutions with unintended consequences for the rest. This disproportionate regulatory burden makes it very difficult for smaller banks to survive let alone have funds to invest in needed people or projects in their communities. That was one of the reasons I felt compelled to be so involved with the OBL. Their advocacy truly does work to push back as much bad legislation and regulation as possible.

The other thing that keeps me up at night is the question of, “Will clients continue to see value in real relationships?” I truly believe that humans were built for relationship, yet it seems like society in general does all it can to find ways to accomplish things without it. I think the key will be how our smaller banks can deliver relationship more efficiently not eliminate it. Computers can be taught to act like they care, but only humans can truly care. I see so many indications in our society that we are moving away from meaningful relationships, which often leads to a lack of empathy, divisive speech, anxiety, and selfishness. It is so easy to tell someone they are not good enough via social media, but it is a little different if are going to see them at a high school basketball game on Friday night.

As a CEO, what aspect of the business takes up most of your time?

I spend a large amount of my time investing in our team members. It may be an unpopular opinion among my peers, but I find that it is the best use of my time. While I could be analyzing numbers on spreadsheets and looking into technical data, which I really enjoy and comes naturally with my background, I am blessed to have a great team who I can trust to do those things. I find that focusing on them is the same as focusing on culture. Afterall, I believe that the people make the culture and great culture makes success possible. In that regard I have also learned to embrace the differences on my team and encourage each of them to see the true value in each other. That goes along with my belief that having a diverse group in thoughts, backgrounds and experiences creates a greater chance that we will get to the right answer together. If I made any of that sound easy or that I was even close to perfecting it, that would be incorrect. This concept is the most difficult and rewarding part of my service to our team over the past 10 years. Fortunately, I work with “mostly” patient people.

What is one last piece of advice you would give to future leaders?

Make sure you fully understand the difference between manipulation and inspiration. Manipulation gets people to do what you want for your benefit; inspiration convinces people to do what is right for the benefit of everyone.

The Union Bank Company was found in 1904 and has grown to encompass 18 branches and three loan production offices throughout Northwest and Central Ohio. Brian Young, President & CEO, leads a team of approximately 200 team members. The bank’s assets are 1.1B and growing.