2015 Trusted Advisers Banker: Lelia Voss

Lelia Voss believes enveloping herself in her clients’ business is crucial to her role.

As vice president of commercial lending for U.S. Bank, Voss is tasked with building customer relationships to form deeper connections and discern their needs. “Understanding my clients’ business is a necessity,” she says. “By having an overall grasp on their business needs, I can better align them with solutions to help them grow their bottom line.”

Voss says her holistic approach to client management gives clients true value. It’s all part of forming a partnership. If the business succeeds, the bank succeeds.

“Adding value isn’t about the next opportunity to sell a client something,” Voss says. “It is about being a partner to the client, accelerating business development, helping their organization create a competitive advantage and providing more complete solutions.

“My job is not to be an order taker, but an influencer or modeler for their financial needs.”

To accomplish her role, Voss isn’t afraid to get tough. Rather than being a “yes” person, she believes the complete cycle of trust involves informing the client of bad news or pointing out where something could go wrong.

“I don’t omit discussions of risks, uncertainties and financial hurdles. I am willing to have the tough discussions related to the financial health of their organization,” says Voss, who completes a yearly relationship review with clients. “Honesty and integrity is foremost in my mind with every interaction that I have. “I cannot be everything to everyone all the time, but I will deliver what I set out to do.”

Voss’ work with the one of Springfield’s largest and most diverse employers has kept its director of finance pleased. The city of Springfield’s Mary Mannix Decker says Voss has brought innovative solutions to the municipality, a task Decker says is impressive given the scope of the Queen City’s portfolio.

“The city of Springfield has many diverse banking needs, from complex financial transactions to payroll services for over 2,000 employees and retirees. Lelia does an excellent job of informing us on new developments in financial services that will improve efficiency and lower cost,” Decker says.

Voss helped the city provide a more cost-effective solution to collateralize its deposits, a requirement for Springfield’s cash reserves. Along with automating payments, the move led to the city paying less in banking fees. Voss also found a competitive interest rate so the city could finance equipment for parks, police and information services, which allowed the organization to address capital needs.

It all goes back to understanding her clients. “A government banking client has a different financial structure and different regulations than a privately held business,” Decker says. “Lelia has taken the time to understand the city’s financial structure and how she can assist with our needs.”