(Joel Thomas)
What advice would you give to your former self at the time you were featured as an Accomplished Under 40 Award recipient?
Stay even-keeled. It’s easy — and typically my tendency — to get really excited about the wins, the highs, and really depressed about the losses, the lows. Something I have tried to work on, and continue to work on, is being more even-keeled. While it is great to celebrate the wins along the way and recognize and learn from the losses, I think it’s best for your mental well-being to not get overly emotional about either and rather keep your eyes on the end goal and the steps you need to take, every day, in order to get there. Speaking of goals — make them, write them down, and look at them every day — especially those times when you are searching for motivation.
What has changed the most in Central Oregon since then?
Ha! What hasn’t changed? When I received this award, Central Oregon was still trying to dig itself out of the Great Recession and dealing with an economy that was primarily construction and tourism-based. One day, someone just flipped back on the light switch and it seemed like Bend was booming again — although this time with a more diversified economic base that included industry sectors never contemplated in this former logging community turned tourism capital. Along with the growth in the area, wealth seems to have grown as well, while still being able to attract the type of people who recognize Central Oregon as an awesome place to live, work and play.
How has your career and community involvement changed since you were selected?
Pretty dramatically. About four years ago, I moved from Bend to Prineville and a few months later made a pretty significant career change — from working as a principal broker at Compass Commercial to a business banking relationship manager at U.S. Bank. Starting in 2024, I accepted a new position — healthcare banking relationship manager — at U.S. Bank, now focused 100 percent on working with private practice healthcare clients — doctors, dentists, optometrists and veterinarians. My territory has grown to encompass the majority of Oregon, so I’ve been able to establish great relationships throughout the state. The work is super rewarding and I love the culture at U.S. Bank. All of the changes have been very healthy for me and my family. We are truly blessed.
What did it mean to you to receive the award?
It was an honor. When I received it, I was fresh off of running a statewide campaign for Oregon Secretary of State and had just moved back to Central Oregon to start a new career and a family. Winning this award gave me a boost of confidence and ‘street cred’, if you will, to launch into this new chapter of my life.
What are some of your proudest accomplishments that make you who you are today?
Hands down my proudest accomplishment is my family. My wife, Elisabeth (also an Accomplished Under 40 winner) and I have been together for almost 22 years. Together we have been raising two incredible children — a daughter who is 12 and a son who is nine. They are intelligent, caring, creative, respectful, funny and loving people. And they still like us, which is awesome! We even still get unsolicited hugs from our 12-year-old daughter! It’s great to watch them grow and mature and I’m excited for what their futures bring.
What advice would you give to this year’s — and future — recipients of Accomplished Under 40 Award?
Don’t be afraid of change, but rather embrace it and learn to love it. One of my favorite quotes is, “The only constant is change.” We live in a time of rapidly evolving technology — AI is just the tip of the iceberg. No one knows what changes and potential career paths are going to be available in the future — so lean into change and always be learning. Over the course of my post-college life, I’ve changed career paths four times. Each change has helped me grow into the professional I am now — and I still use the skills that I acquired in each of those careers to help better serve my clients here at U.S. Bank today.
What question would you ask yourself for this interview?
It’s been about ten years since you won this award. Where do you see yourself in another ten years?
It’s crazy to think about ten years from now — I’ll be in my 50s; my daughter will likely just be finishing up college and my son will be starting college. I hope that I will have achieved my goal of producing two incredible, smart, compassionate adults who contribute to making society better. I hope they have great relationships with us and their friends/significant others. I hope my wife and I are healthy and mentally and physically fit enough to enjoy that next phase of our lives — being ‘empty nesters.’
