Chris Calverley, branch manager of Scotiabank, will be retiring this month after 24 years of financial mentoring in Mission.
With more than 39 years of banking experience, Chris has worked through many changes both in industry practice and Mission’s ever-changing economy.
Originally pursuing a career in teaching, Chris left teaching college to find work in Prince George. He fell into finance in 1973 and moved his way up the corporate ladder at the Bank of Nova Scotia by working in small towns like McBride, Mackenzie, Vernon and Lumby. In October 1988, he transferred to the Mission branch of the bank with a continued focus on commercial/small business development. His clients included mills, farms and retail.
Though opportunities to move on in his career had come up, Chris chose to stay in Mission and continue to support the many commercial/small businesses that he had helped develop.
“I really enjoyed helping businesses start and helping them through the economic hard times.” notes Calverley. “Most of the deals I put together were done at the kitchen table, on the golf course, or at the customer’s place of business. Seldom did business owners find their way into the bank. That was the fun part of my job. It has been rewarding to be part of success and succession here.”
Chris feels Mission is on the verge of significant change, reflecting on how the town has doubled in size since he arrived.
An active community builder, Chris plans on continuing being active as a volunteer. Serving over 22 years on the board of Fraser House and the Mission Rotary Club, this Rotarian has lived service over self.
He expects to stay an active director of the Fraser House, Rotary, and the Mission Community Foundation after retirement, where he finds his work most rewarding. Chris encourages community members to get involved just as Stan Lim (Riverside Chev-Olds) invited him to do when he first arrived in Mission back in 1988. His parting words of wisdom, “find balance between work, community and family, it is vitally important.”