A local focus
As bank celebrates birthday, manager reflects on her career with financial centers
in two states
By Larry Meyer
Argus Observer
Monday, July 21, 2008 11:12 AM PDT
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| Larry Meyer | Argus Observer
Julia Harrison, manager of Zions Bank, New Plymouth, stands by the cake being served to honor the Bank’s 135th anniversary last week. Harrision started her banking career on the Oregon coast before coming back to the area where she grew up. |
NEW PLYMOUTH—Julia Harrison, manager of the New Plymouth branch of Zions Bank, left the valley and found a career only to return home again to live and work in the place where she grew up.
“I’ve lived in Payette County for all but two years of my life,” Harrison said.
Although she was living in New Plymouth, Harrison graduated from Payette High School to be able to take certain classes she needed. Her mother was teacher at Payette.
Her start in the banking business, she said, was modest
“I started on the coast at a small credit union,” she said.
That “small” job, though, launched her career in banking.
“I’ve been in banking for 101⁄2 years,” she said.
In that time, though, she has worked with U.S. Bank and Key Bank, before joining Zions Bank, where she has been for almost four years.
She said she found Oregon coast’s wet weather not to her liking.
“The weather was hard there,” she said. “I like the sunshine. Even when it was sunny, the fog usually rolled in. I joined Zions as customer service manager.”
Then the opportunity came to move up when there was an opening and she has been manager of the New Plymouth Zions Bank branch for about 11⁄2 years. Even though it is a small-town bank, it is still full-service banking, she said.
“I enjoy helping people,” she said. “It’s what I’m here for.”
Even with having just been in the business for about 10 years, Harrison said she has seen a lot changes, mainly stemming from the attacks on the World Trade Center. Without going into detail, she alluded to new procedures that have been adopted since the deadly terrorist attacks. Her husband, Levi is a truck driver and the couple have three children. She said she volunteers in the community, particularly in those activities and causes the bank is involved with.
“I like whitewater rafting,” she said.
She said she likes to be outdoors, and that includes going up to the Cambridge area, where her husband is from and his family still lives.
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