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BY aManda wESTon G oing to the bank may not seem like a life- changing experience for most kids. But for Wells Fargo Senior Vice President Brian Lee, his earliest memories of going to the bank with his mother led to a 33-year career in the in- dustry. Fascinated and impressed with the people working at the bank, Lee found a passion for finance and one of his first jobs was as a teller at a Sav- ings and Loan. After taking classes during his MBA at USC studying finance, the Carlsbad resident became even more interested in bank- ing and continued in the field for the next three decades. Working out of his office in Escondido, we reached out to the 28-year veteran at Wells Fargo to learn about his career and some of the economic and financial challenges facing North County. • • • Tell us about your career at Wells Fargo. I started in the Credit Management Training program and went to work in the Real Estate Group, which financed large commercial developers. Al- though I enjoyed the work, I missed the interactions and involvement with customers and team members. I relo- cated from Northern Califor- nia to San Diego and joined the community bank side of Wells Fargo. I held various positions in community bank- ing, such as Project Manager, Branch Manager, District Manager and Area President. • • • How does Wells Fargo stand out from other bank- ing institutions in the area? Our vision is to help satisfy our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially. Our foundation for success can be summa- rized in three beliefs in who we are and what we do: Our product is service. Our value added is financial guidance. Our competitive advantage is our people. Our formula for greatness starts and ends with people: mind share + heart share = market share. • • • What does Wells Fargo do in the community to help businesses achieve success? We're committed to helping small and large businesses succeed financially. Business lending is an important way we provide business owners the financing they need to build their businesses. Every small-to-large business loan we make is helping an Ameri- can business owner start, ex- pand or invest in their future. In 2015, Wells Fargo approved more SBA 7(a) loans and dol- lars for America's small busi- nesses than any other lender. Over $1.9 billion nationwide and over $67.6 million in San Diego County. • • • What are the biggest challenges facing North San Diego County businesses and how can they be over- come? The biggest challenges are housing, transportation, regulation, and credit. Afford- able housing in North County is a serious problem as we ex- perience some of the highest housing costs to average wage ratios in the country. The good news is every city in North County is aware of the issue and is working on solu- tions. Transportation is a re- gional issue and SANDAG l Q&A NORTH COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL x WINTER 2016 x sdnedc.org fi BRIAN LEE n WELLS FARGO SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT SHARES INSIGHT INTO AREA'S ECONOMY "Assisting businesses financially is about building life-long relationships one customer at a time. " – BRIAN LEE, Wells Fargo Senior Vice President Retail Banking Group