2019 Junior Achievement Hall of Fame: Laureate Richard Strutz.

• Author: Henry, Arie
• Position: STRUTZ

Richard Strutz has always valued people over dollars. That mindset helped him work his way up through the ranks of the National Bank of Alaska (NBA), from teller to president. Another value that served him well during his career has been his continued optimism, which aided him as he led the bank through multiple situations fraught with uncertainty, including Alaska's economic recession in the late 1980s, an eventual merger between NBA and Wells Fargo in 2001, and, as the Well Fargo Alaska Regional President, the recession of the late 2000s. His childhood and family ties served as the foundation for his principles--the Strutz family has been forging community ties in Alaska for more than one hundred years.

Alaska Business: How did you get your start?

Richard Strutz: My dad inspired me to apply for a job at the bank. I was working for the State of Alaska. As an eighteen-year-old kid, I was pretty happy; it was a great kid job. But it was a temporary job. You could only work for them six months, then you had to leave. So I needed a job.

My dad said, "You know, I know these guys at National Bank of Alaska. I grew up with them. If they can succeed at the bank, you'll do really well. You'll be president!"

So I went down and applied. My cousin worked for another bank and I went to work for National Bank of Alaska. I got the best bank--I didn't know it at the time. When you're a kid, you have no idea what's a good bank and what's a bad bank. But he had the coolest job: he got to drive around and hand out mail. I thought he got the way better job. Later I realized that wasn't a good place to go into the bank--if you're going to work in a bank you better get in the bank and work as a banker. In 1973, a guy that I worked with, whom I got along with really well, recommended me for the management training program at the bank. I said, "Okay I'll try that." Before I finished it, they had this assignment in Petersburg ata bank [NBA] had just bought. They said, "Why don't you go there?"

Being an Anchorage kid, I almost didn't go. It was 2,500 people. It was one of those things where you do it and you're shocked. You're really so glad that you didn't say no. So I stayed there for three years, then came back to Anchorage. In fact 1 enjoyed it so much I almost didn't want to come back [he laughs]. It's hard to believe, but I think I got to know all 2,500 people, at least the adults.

[NBA] had me come back up and manage a branch, which was in the Sears Mall. I...