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Originally published on U.S. Bank company blog
The U.S. Bank Phoenix Uptown branch has proudly served local businesses and customers for the past 40 years. It recently underwent a facelift to better reflect its customers and neighbors by becoming the bank’s newest LGBTQ+ flagship.
The branch is right around the corner from Phoenix’s historic Melrose neighborhood, which has a number of LGBTQ+ owned-businesses and community members. As part of the redesign, the location features an updated interior and exterior design that pays tribute to the LGBTQ+ culture, such as exterior window signage and LGBTQ+ themed artwork throughout.
Additionally, the branch is staffed with members and allies of the community to signal that it is a safe space for LGBTQ+ customers to do their banking while being their authentic selves without any fear of stigma or judgement, said Dom Sims, U.S. Bank geographic lead for Arizona’s LGBTQ+ Business Resource Group. It’s the bank’s newest LGBTQ+ flagship, joining others located in Capitol Hill in Seattle, Castro District in San Francisco and Lakeview East in Chicago.
Members of the community and local LGBTQ+ focused nonprofit one•n•ten recently joined branch staff and market leadership to officially redesignate the Phoenix Uptown branch to an LGBTQ+ flagship. It’s a visible representation of how U.S. Bank sees the future of branch banking – one that blends its significant investments in digital tools with the irreplaceable value of building meaningful relationships with the surrounding community, Sims said.
“It's important now more than ever to show up for the community and show them that we are here to help them succeed financially,” Sims said. “It's important to have spaces where the community is welcomed and accepted no matter how they identify. Everyone should have the freedom to be themselves and not have to worry about whether or not their banker will treat them unfavorably if they walk in with a same-sex partner, or if their appearance doesn't necessarily match their identity.”
For the past 16 years, U.S. Bank received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index, the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. The award in part recognizes the contributions of the company's Spectrum LGBTQ Business Resource Group, launched in 2012 to help LGBTQ+ employees connect with members of their community and grow personally and professionally. Since then, the bank’s commitment to the LGBTQ community continues to grow for its customers, communities and colleagues, most recently evidenced by the opening its newest LGBTQ+ flagship branch in Phoenix.
Along with actively participating in more than 45 Pride events across the country, U.S. Bank offers products and services tailored to the LGBTQ+ community. Branch employees have content and training aimed to help LGBTQ+ community members and same-sex couples navigate their finances. Focusing on wealth management, the bank provides content tailored to financial realities for modern families at USBank.com/LGBTQ, such as financial planning for same sex couples, same sex wedding planning and modern estate planning.
Check out the video above to see how U.S. Bank celebrated the grand opening of its newest LGBTQ+ flagship branch.
