FACES OF BUSINESS

Pictured from left to right: Mark Wood, Apps Development Director; Aminaa Bayar, Software Delivery Associate Manager; Greg Mestas, Apps Development Director; Amalya Amirkhanyan, IT Operations Manager; Javin Cyriacks, Infrastructure Director; Christian Winward, Chief Information Office; Brian Dennehy, IT Managing Director; Brandi Gonzales, Software Delivery Manager; Kate Liosis, IT Managing Director

You might not think of FirstBank as a burgeoning tech company, but that’s what it is.

In fact, the Colorado homegrown bank has become nationally regarded for developing many of its own applications and online banking capabilities in-house, rather than relying on third-party e-banking platforms. This makes FirstBank an anomaly compared to institutions its size, and has enabled its tech department to grow ten-fold, from 40 to 400 employees.
The innovations made across its online and mobile banking capabilities has also led FirstBank to be named among Forbes’ “Best in State Banks”, and maintain the No. 1 spot in the Southwest region for customer satisfaction.

The company’s secret sauce? 1) Meeting customers where they want to be met, and 2) creating a workplace culture that fosters happy employees, which lead to happy customers. The bank not only invests in several benefits to enhance the employee experience, but offers several employee resource groups (ERGs), enabling team members to form mentors, learn new skills and advance their careers.

For instance, the company’s Women in Technology ERG pairs women tech leaders with aspiring technology employees. This is one of several reasons the bank has been able to identify and cultivate new talent, helping more women and people of color elevate to leadership roles, bringing dynamism and diversity of thought to its IT space.

As a result, FirstBank enjoys being one of Built In’s “Best Large Technology Companies to Work For,” and a Denver Post “Top Workplace” 12 years’ running.