In his annual association report, Richard Baier, president and CEO of the Nebraska Bankers Association since 2014, talked about the viability of an industry that faces a talent shortage. In recent months, Baier said the association held its first ever Young Bankers Day at the Capitol and 15 bankers attended. “It was refreshing to see these people,” Baier said. He said the association will continue to engage the next generation, get them involved advocacy and in leadership.
Baier’s comments came May 3 at the association’s annual convention, held in Omaha, Neb.
At the meeting, the association showed a recruiting video it created that featured young bankers talking about the diverse career opportunities inside the industry. A half dozen bankers under age 35 detailed the diverse opportunities inside the industry; one touted a job in banking as a way to be on the leading edge of data security, while another offered examples of median salaries in areas of compliance and information technology.
Members of the NBA also hold presentations around the state to promote careers in banking, Baier said. He reported on one such event held in Lincoln recently, in conjunction with the University of Nebraska. “We had 60 students show up on an afternoon at 3 o’clock, and those students were all interested in community banking,” Baier said. “We had several bank presidents and when the program was complete, the kids picked up all of their business cards, so we can have success.”
Baier said the NBA is also focused on promoting financial literacy. It formed a financial literacy task force that is engaged in developing educational standards for public schools. There are 244 public school districts in Nebraska, he said, and only 94 of them require completion of a personal finance class. “If we think about financial literacy as important to our citizens it needs to be a priority.”
The association has also worked with a state lawmaker to launch a study on literacy in the Nebraska school systems. Its Bank On Nebraska Challenge, a video contest aimed at high school students, received 125 qualified entries.
Baier said the NBA will soon launch a new website, plans to build on its webinar business (it hosted 271 webinars in the last year), intends to grow its social media activities, and plans to develop a peer group network. He also announced that Joni Sundquist, senior vice president of communications and external affairs, will be leaving the NBA.