Can you tell me a little bit about you personally, your profession, and what you do here at U.S. Bank?
Rene: Yes, thank you for having me speak about our [Lake Street] community and also our branch, which represents a lot here in our community. We are so excited to be here and in the Lake Street area!
Being the manager of this U.S. Bank branch for 12 years – it’s a long time! I’m very passionate about working with our community and our small businesses operating here on Lake Street.
One of my passions here is coaching employees, and our community members, but also connecting with them on a personal level. This is one of the reasons I’ve been part of LEDC for probably over 15 years. I just admire what they do for [small businesses and small business owners], and I want to show my strong support for and faith in their mission.
Tell us more about the Lake Street branch, and what makes it different from other branches.
Rene: One of the things that we wanted was to come back to our community in a big and committed way after all the hardship experienced on Lake Street. And as a compliment, U.S Bank is starting to change the way U.S. Bank branches look and feel. We may have some older branches, but we are updating practices and physical spaces with the primary goal to make our community proud, matched with modernized services to them.
This branch here is not just a place to come and do transactions, but really it’s a safe community destination to conduct business in a supportive environment.
Our Branch was created with many contemporary features, some even say it looks like an Apple store. It’s a new concept that we really wanted to make sure that we took advantage of – all the technology and digital tools that the bank can share. We can teach and really represent this by building this branch that feels advanced and futuristic. We also created lots of open spaces for our community to feel welcome. I know LEDC has also utilized some of our spaces here as well.
We have a large community room here that was created just for that so we can support our community education efforts such as teaching financial literacy.
There is a lot of concern around safety and security on Lake Street right now. What would you say to someone who is concerned about visiting businesses on Lake Street?
Rene: At U.S. Bank, we took [safety] very seriously and intentionally came back here to operate, to be a presence, and now we are even able to support events just like the Taco Tour on Lake Street.
To support the event as the Title Sponsor is for us to really invite people to be a part of the change. We need to get our people back on Lake Street supporting our small businesses. I think sponsorship is one way for us to do it. We also probably have to work with our city as well.
We all need to contribute to change on Lake Street. For one, let’s bring back the businesses. That is one of the reasons why we [U.S. Bank] wanted to come back stronger. We want Lake Street to come back out even better than it was before by showing that our community thrives by supporting each other. We can change the security concerns that we all have, and I know that it’s going to be better with each other.
I think it’s great because I’ve talked to a lot of people that said they haven’t been in this area for a long time. As I talk to them and I start inviting them to the Taco Tour on Lake Street they ask me the question: is it safe? I get it, and I continue to say: listen, I work there, my team works there, so I feel safe every day during the day. I can tell you that I feel safe and our businesses are here and we need the people to come back to Lake Street, so I am just so excited to be able to partner with LEDC to change the way people are seeing Lake Street.
How does U.S. Bank invest in you as a leader? And what about other Latino leaders at U.S. Bank?
Rene: I think that’s one of the reasons why I’m still here at U.S. Bank, because I feel like U.S. Bank really is invested in me, my growth, and my development.
I’m currently part of a program at U.S. Bank that focuses on providing opportunities to people of color, such as myself. I’m also part of a special program right now which provides me with an Executive Coach, to allow me to grow and it exposes me to many things that I wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to experience.
Tell us please a little bit of what is your favorite place to get tacos from Lake Street. What is your usual order?
Rene: Well that is a really tough decision because there are a lot of good choices here on Lake Street, -lots of good choices- but if I had to choose I would say my favorite place is probably Salsa A La Salsa restaurant, and what I usually get is tacos al pastor. That is usually my order.
You’ve talked about a relationship with LEDC over a number of years, with you personally, and also as U.S. Bank, as a partner. Why LEDC?
Rene: I’m very passionate about being connected to the community. When I first came to U.S. Bank over 15 years ago, I started getting involved with LEDC and found that a lot of the things that LEDC was doing were things that U.S. Bank was really interested in as well. It really made sense for us to partner together.
For example, we have a lot of our customers that don’t have a social security number, and they come in because they would like to do a loan with us, so we may say that they’re not “bankable for loans”. However, through the LEDC partnership, we are able to provide funds to them. They are able to lend through a different process with LEDC that does not require things like credit, as they may not have a credit score.
By supporting LEDC we are helping to create those businesses, which in turn brings business to U.S. Bank as well, so it just makes sense and for me, I’m passionate about giving back to the community.
I love to see our business succeed and grow, and to see our Latino community coming back strong on Lake Street. I’ve created great relationships through LEDC, by giving a little of my time, as much as I can, and taking advantage of every opportunity I have to find new ways to participate.
Would you like to extend an invitation to our friends that are considering being part of the Taco Tour on Lake Street?
Rene: Of course! This is a great event and I know that we haven’t done it for a few years. I would say this is a great opportunity. We are really excited and thank you to LEDC for all the energy and time being put into this. We’re really happy to be part of this, so I am asking all of you to be out there with us. If you haven’t been to Lake Street please, this is the time, the perfect time! Come have some tacos and at the same time show your support to our community and our small businesses. Our community really needs you!
Let’s be back. Let’s show the rest of the community that we’re there to support and help each other. If you’re not able to make it, there are so many different ways you can make a difference, like by donating to LEDC or joining as a volunteer.LEDC has ways to get involved. So reach out! I’m sure they have something for you. You can make a difference in your community but I’m asking you to please come out. Let’s show our community how committed we are. We really want this community back on its feet. Let’s make it safe, together.
