By Judy Clabes
NKyTribune editor
Jason Payne is the perfect example of a successful professional who followed the “everything-I-learned-in-kindergarten” principle all the way to the top. He genuinely embraces all those core values he learned early on under the tutelage of a hard-working widowed mom who was an admirable role model for her children.
Payne grew up in a “blue collar” family in rural Owensboro where his dad, a welder, died of lung cancer when he was three. He had two older siblings and one younger, and for a time his mom was the struggling breadwinner. She never complained. She later married a brick layer, and his stepdad became another loving role model for the children.
“My mom made it work,” he says in the most loving tones. “She always wanted to keep busy and to take care of people.” His mom became a nurse — and insisted that her children go to college.
As a youth, Jason, too, learned the value of hard work — by necessity, but willingly. He was a “hod carrier,” that is the young guy who carries bricks — and anything else that’s needed — to the builders on a job site. He says as a youth he was “too tired” to get into any “trouble” but he always followed the rules — a true nice guy. And, he followed his mom’s directive — going to Western Kentucky University where he studied computers and marketing.
During college, an internship at Walt Disney World opened up a whole new world for Jason — and “shaped me big time.” He lived in a completely different world, one that included a rich mix of international students who were ambitious and friendly and taught him a lot about people and friendships and the world that he didn’t know. Back at school, he became an “Ambassador” and learned even more about getting “people-connected.”
From there, he decided to see some of that world. He and his friends drove to Yellowstone National Park where he worked driving a truck and marveled at the scale and size of the vistas, and he studied international marketing in Ireland, for college credit.
He embraced his mom’s advice throughout: listen, engage, and be sincere.
He moved to Louisville for a job in mortgage banking and at a chance meeting at a friend’s wedding, he met his future wife, Stacy, who was from Boone County. They have two daughters and now live in Union.
Love is what got him to NKY — and his love of the region keeps him here. He took a job with a small community bank and when Republic Bank’s Tom Saelinger tapped him to join the bank in 2011, he knew it was the perfect fit — a community-focused, service-centered family-owned Kentucky bank whose values synced with his own.
“Jason’s leadership abilities as well as his commitment to the Northern Kentucky community has been a key component to our local success,” said Saelinger, Greater Cincinnati Market President.
Today Jason is managing director and sr. vice president of the Northern Kentucky Market for Republic, responsible for commercial and private banking as well as mentoring a team of local lenders. Along the way, he also got his MBA from Thomas More University.
He takes his role as “mentor” seriously and feels a duty to share his honest wisdom with others. He thoroughly enjoys his role in managing 50 employees in eight branches — and in “mentoring young people and seeing people grow.” He particularly enjoys solving complex problems, as he likes to look at a problem from different perspectives, still following those lessons he learned early in life.
He advises his mentees to focus on (1) Positivity (Always ask, ‘Who helped me win this week?’); (2) Communication (95% of all problems can be solved by communicating), 3. Caring about the details, 4. Professionalism (“This means persevering in the face of difficult times, I compare “professionalism” to those in the military or first responders who have to do a job even if it’s tough. I secondly mean professionalism by the way you dress and treat others.”) and 5. Urgency. (“If you wait for the right situation you aren’t going to solve the problem.”)
His co-workers are certainly positive about the impact he has on them — and their jobs.
Payne has also taken on a major role in the community as the 54th chair of the Northern Kentucky Chamber, a culmination of service dating back to the early 2000s — through various volunteer roles and committees and as a graduate of the Chamber’s Leadership Northern Kentucky program, which he served as class president. He emphasizes service, partnerships, advocacy, and value.
The honor is recognition of his devotion to the community — and his deep involvement in various community organizations, which have included Welcome House, the Horizon Fund, and the Catalytic Fund, to name just a few.
For all these reasons, Jason Payne is a NKyTribune NewsMaker of the Year.
Tomorrow: NewsMaker Wonda Winkler
(Editor’s note: A reception will be held for this year’s NewsMakers at B&B Riverboats on the Newport Riverfront on Friday, 4-6 p.m. Brief awards presentation at 5 p.m. Food, drink, and friendship. If you are coming, please RSVP to judy@nkytrib.com)