Out of the Office. The team at Enterprise Bank & Trust is actively engaged in the community, attending Chamber lunches, clients’ offices, fundraising events, and networking happy hours. These are bankers who don’t sit behind a desk. They are out at all the places that matter most to their community. And that's exactly what Jim Lally, President and CEO of Enterprise Financial Services Corp., wants and expects of his associates. Jim discusses the philosophy of doing well by doing good.
Kirkwood City Lifestyle Magazine: Talk about the culture you have created.
Jim: The skill we teach isn’t talking; it’s listening. We want to help our clients achieve whatever they want to accomplish, whether it's their dream or the legacy they wish to leave behind. But we won’t know what that is until we go out and listen to their story. And everyone’s story is different. And it changes. So we have to stay connected. If we sat behind a desk and only looked at financial data, we would miss the next phase of their story.
Kirkwood City Lifestyle Magazine: Describe Enterprise Bank & Trust’s community-forward philosophy.
Jim: We believe the investment we make in our community is well worth it in terms of time, treasure, and talent. We’ve been blessed with a lot, and it’s key to give back. My predecessor, Peter Benoist, taught us that it’s okay to do well by doing good. When it comes to Pedal the Cause, if we can further advance cancer research in our own city, how can we not get on board for that? But here’s the thing: our philosophy is not led by me; it’s led by our associates. Our passion for supporting our community stems from our commitment to supporting what is important to our associates. We have 1,299 associates nationwide who are empowered to make a positive impact in their communities. If it’s to them, it’s important to me.
Kirkwood City Lifestyle Magazine: Tell us more about those associates.
Jim: They are people who care. It’s that simple. They are people who love what they do and get up every day wanting to make a difference. We ask a lot of our associates because we believe it is our responsibility to ensure that our clients and communities are better off tomorrow than they are today. And that’s not coming from me. That’s the philosophy that was started at Enterprise Bank & Trust 35 years ago.
Kirkwood City Lifestyle Magazine: How does Enterprise University help the community?
Jim. Enterprise University was in place when I joined the company 22 years ago. The idea was developed by Kevin Eichner, one of the co-founders of Enterprise Bank & Trust. Kevin thought the universities failed to provide our business owners with what they needed to run and grow a business. So, he created a free curriculum that focused on leadership, management, sales, and human resources —everything a successful business needs. We’ve expanded it and put it online because we want everyone, whether they are a client or not, to have the opportunity to take a class. There is zero cost to anyone who wants to learn something new. We offer 32 different classes, so I invite you to explore the courses that can help advance your career or business. We are problem solvers, and we want to help everyone improve because when businesses do better, our entire community benefits.
For more information about Enterprise University, visit enterprisebank.com/eu.