Home > Case Studies > One Bank Gained More from Giving than it Could Buy...

One Bank Gained More from Giving than it Could Buy with Money

Bryan Hyzdu was given regional management of The Bank of California (now Union Bank) in Stockton. His challenge was daunting: clean up problem loans, rebuild the employee team, increase the deposit and loan portfolio, and improve the bank’s image. Bryan knew the country was in a recession and this was not going to be an easy task.

Bryan pulled his bank team together for a series of brainstorming sessions. The team decided to quickly eliminate advertising because they felt it was far more expensive than effective for what we needed to accomplish. Their solution centered on the creation of an event. The team chose to create a “leadership” event modeled after one Bryan had experienced in Bakersfield, California that had a sold out crowd of 15, 000 attendees. Bryan was enthused about his team’s ability to successfully replicate it on a more intimate scale. After expanding their steering committee with some early contributors and hiring a professional event planner, they launched “The Business Leadership Summit”. “The Summit”, as it came to be known, sold out most every year and filled a plush theater, seating almost 1,500 attendees on the Delta College Campus, featuring speakers such as Colin Powell, Margaret Thatcher, Shimon Peres, and John Major.

The strategy worked because the bank was the lead sponsor; Bryan served as the Summit President during its first 10 years. The bank’s community profile dramatically improved with front-page news stories and photos creating positive name recognition. However, the real business development value was in the working relationships forged with the Summit’s key contributing sponsors, table buyers, committee participants, volunteers, vendors, along with the esteem the Stockton business community developed in presenting this event.

The bottom line is the bank gained through giving what it could not buy with advertising. The bank’s image became positive, doors began to open for new business, the balance sheet experienced real growth, and it became a magnet for great talent.

You may not be in the banking business, but you need help with finding the right strategy to grow your business and increase your market image. We help people find solutions that make their business of business better.

We’re External Resources, a company that delivers interim and permanent executives who specialize in leadership and strategy, finance and human resources, sales and marketing, and informational technology for commerce and government.

What is your greatest business challenge and how did you overcome the obstacle? Share your story by using the comments section below

Home