Kellie Ehrhard
Greeley Market President
FirsTier Bank
What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?
For me, it’s the growth I’ve seen in the people I lead. Knowing I played a role, however small, in them becoming more confident and effective is the most rewarding part of my career.
What is the most important thing you’ve learned from a career in banking?
Always be open to change and never burn bridges, as you never know who your next boss will be ― or who may be buying you out!
What makes your bank unique?
FirsTier Bank is a community bank with locations throughout Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming. Our roots date back to 1955, when a small group of bankers and local businessmen opened Kimball County Bank with a vision to provide quality services that would help their local community grow and prosper. Today, we continue to be community builders — committed to the communities we serve and to providing the highest level of customer service, strength and stability to our business and personal banking customers.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I’ve loved space since I was a small child. I wanted to be an astronaut badly! I was the president of the astronomy club and the rocket club. As I got older, I joined the Civil Air Patrol, hoping to progress to the Air Force. Unfortunately, high school changed things and being social/boys became more important.
What do you geek out about?
I have a bird feeder that has a camera, which I love! I have recorded 23 bird species so far. I am obsessed, and I’m hoping to attract a cardinal.
Flint Mulder
Regional President
U.S. Bank
How did you get started in the banking industry?
Like many of my peers, I would classify myself as an accidental banker. Shortly after high school, I joined the U.S. Army, where I served as a Russian translator for a military intelligence unit in Fairbanks, Alaska. Upon receiving an honorable discharge, I earned a journalism degree at the University of Oregon and subsequently stumbled upon an opportunity to work as a mortgage banker. This turned into a 28-year career with U.S. Bank, where I’ve had the privilege of leading retail, business and commercial banking teams across the Western U.S.
What do you like to do to give back to the community?
As a veteran, I feel that it is my duty to give back to those who have sacrificed so much to protect our way of life. This is why I am an executive sponsor for Proud to Serve, U.S. Bank’s military business resource group dedicated to supporting active-duty military members, reservists, veterans and their families in the communities that we serve.
I’m proud to work for a company that is such a strong supporter of service. U.S. Bank has appeared on the Military Times’ Best for Vets: Employers list (2010-2023) and Veteran Magazine’s Top Veteran-Friendly Companies list (2015-2022). And through various programs over the years, we have partnered with service organizations to donate mortgage-free homes to wounded veterans, repair veteran homes and provide payment-free vehicles to veterans in need.
What are you most proud of in your professional life?
At U.S. Bank, our purpose is to “invest our hearts and minds to power human potential.” It’s coincidental, but the bank’s corporate “purpose” has been a lifelong passion of mine. When it comes to my professional life, this ties to what I’m most proud of: the individuals with whom I have worked over the years at U.S. Bank, who have done the hard work to become dynamic, successful leaders and bankers.
Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
One thing that often surprises people is that President Abraham Lincoln is a distant cousin. His grandfather was one of my great-grandfathers.
