Even in retirement, they’re still a part of the family
When Frances Guthrie started at Compass Bank in 1964, no one had to explain to her what “one team” meant. “We only had 11 people,” she said. “And that was counting the mail carrier.” That was just one of the memories shared by Guthrie and about 30 other retired former team members at the inaugural BBVA Compass Alumni Community Luncheon in Birmingham, Ala. last month.
Event emcee Quentin Byrd, a member of the Talent & Culture Solutions Development team, organized the event and noted that Guthrie, as the third-ever employee of Compass Bank (now known as BBVA Compass), was a veritable treasure chest of institutional knowledge and experience the bank continues to value.
Byrd: Because even when our team members enter retirement, we want them to know they’re still part of the family.
Retired BBVA employees unite and engage at the bank's inaugural Alumni Community Luncheon in Birmingham, Ala.
“More than anything, this event was about giving something back to our alumni and recognizing their contributions to where we are now as a company,” Byrd said. “We’re excited to offer more opportunities like this in the future — as well as find ways for our alumni to get involved with bank-sponsored community service or mentor current employees — because even when our team members enter retirement, we want them to know they’re still part of the family.”
Byrd, along with Talent & Culture team members, was part of an agile project team that spent the first three months of 2018 working to improve and create new employee and alumni perks.
The event also featured a presentation for the alumni about the bank’s digital transformation from BBVA Compass Chief Talent & Culture Executive Rosilyn Houston, who pointed out that even with the many changes the bank has undergone, one thing has remained consistent.
Houston: Our [alumni are] very important to us, and we are continuing to build on the foundation [they] laid for us.
“No matter the size, we’re still one team,” she said. “That means you, our alumni community, are very important to us, and we are continuing to build on the foundation you laid for us.”