A PeopleFirst Win-Win

Transitioning from active duty to any job in the civilian world can be difficult for military veterans. It’s a transition that Gary White knows all too well. Today, he is the Vice President Commercial Loan Officer at Choice Bank in Eagan, MN. But before that, he spent years transitioning back and forth from the military world to the business world, during a total of six deployments and three combat tours.

“It’s the hardest thing in the world, coming back to your civilian job,” Gary described. “You don’t have the same support network you have in active duty. You’ve been out in the middle of Afghanistan fighting a war and the next thing you know you’re at a desk working as a Business Banker.”

On the day of the event, everything was prepared. Choice Bank tablecloths were laid across the tables, and the food was laid out and ready to eat. Gary stood at the door and greeted each attendee with a handshake and a warm smile. They had around 50 veteran business owners in attendance, and many came up to share their gratitude for opening up a last-minute space. Even after the hour of presentations and networking wrapped up, many lingered to continue making connections. In fact, a few even set up a meeting with Gary to talk about small business loans.

Afterward, Joe thanked Gary and Christine again and again for coming through at the last minute and delivering in spades. They all agreed it had been a big hit.

“Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better meeting,” Gary said.

As a veteran himself, it means a lot to Gary to be part of an organization that not only talks the talk but walks the walk when it comes to showing support for veterans.

“Our leadership at Choice Bank didn’t even think twice about doing this,” he said. “The answer was right away, ‘We would love to do this.’ It really shows our commitment to being PeopleFirst.”

Thanks to Gary and Christine’s efforts, Joe and the Trust Vets community were able to have a successful in-person meeting — with a tasty lunch, to boot. What’s more, nearly 50 local veteran business owners now know they have a place for financial and small business support right in their neighborhood, and some are even in the process of becoming Choice Bank customers. In the end, being PeopleFirst is a win-win for everybody.

 
Our People First values are at the heart of everything we do. Learn more about our passion for putting People First here.