More Than a Customer

Jenna works at a bank, but when we talked, she didn't spend much time talking about banking.

She talked about people.

About the customers who come in a few times a week. The conversations that slowly grow over time. The familiar faces that stop feeling like customers and start feeling more like friends.

"Our customers aren't just customers," she told me.

One of the things she loves most about her job is getting to know people's stories. Working downtown has introduced her to people from all kinds of backgrounds, and the more people she meets, the more she's reminded that we're not as different as we sometimes think. Everyone has a story. Everyone is carrying something. Everyone wants to feel welcome when they walk through the door. 

When I asked what she loves about Salt Lake City, she talked about the diversity she sees every day. Not the version people assume exists, but the one she experiences firsthand through the people she meets.

What stuck with me most was how often she came back to relationships. Not transactions. Not accounts. Relationships.

Talking with Jenna made me think about how many places feel welcoming because of the people inside them. Sometimes it's the small things—remembering someone's name, asking about their week, listening to their story—that make a place feel like it belongs to all of us.