Neilan McPartland

Assistant Vice President

Numerica Credit Union

Age and current hometown: 40, Prosser

Briefly describe your company: My company is Numerica Credit Union, a trusted community resource for banking solutions. We serve a diverse membership throughout eastern Washington and northern Idaho. We live our mission of enhancing lives, fulfilling dreams and building communities every day.

How long have you worked at Numerica? 7 ½ years

Education: Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, Washington State University; Western CUNA Management School through Pomona College.

Family? Pets?

I have a beautiful wife of 11 years, Katie McPartland. Together we have four children ages 2 to 8. Right now I have about 20 animals. They range from the standard cat and dog combo to beef cattle, sheep, pigs, etc.

How long have you lived in the Mid-Columbia? 12 years

Did you grow up here?

I did not grow up in the Tri-Cities. I came here after I finished school at Washington State University (Go Cougs!). I began my post-university career working for Enterprise Holdings in Kennewick. I left briefly, but we returned to the area to raise our family.

Dream vacation?

I really want to go to Curaçao. I intended to go last April, but Covid happened.

Planner or procrastinator?

I’m a little bit of both.

Favorite book? Movie?

My favorite book is “The Count of Monte Cristo” and my favorite movie is “The Thomas Crown Affair.”

What is your favorite thing to do in the Tri-Cities?

My favorite thing to do in the Tri-Cities is have wine on any of the winery patios on a nice day.

What would people be most surprised to learn about you?

The thing that most people might be surprised to learn about me is that I played violin in the WSU orchestra and had a violin scholarship to WSU.

Describe your job and how you got into it: In my current role, I lead several teams of banking professionals who specialize in retail services. The retail side of banking is the side the community members really experience in their day-to-day lives.

We service the bank account side of things from savings accounts for the kiddos, to our business member checking accounts and everything in between. We also deal in the loans our members rely on to live and have fun: cars, boats, RVs, credit cards, etc.

I got into banking several years ago, mainly by accident. I was applying for a variety of jobs I thought I might be good at. What I discovered is that this industry, and particularly Numerica Credit Union, gave me an avenue to impact people’s lives, serve in the community and grow professionally.

Toughest career decision?

The toughest decisions in my career have been to leave teams that I built and helped to develop. It is never easy to leave a group that you’ve put so much effort into, but there are always other groups that could use a hand up and I think my skill set lends itself to being that helping hand. I have made this choice several times throughout my career.

How did you earn your first dollar?

I grew up learning how to work on a family farm in the small community of Warden, Washington. I’m not sure if I was ever paid a whole dollar, but I probably earned enough dimes to equal one by pulling weeds, changing water and working a shovel.

How do you achieve work-life balance?

In my opinion “work-life balance” is this mythical thing nobody ever really achieves.

What we’re really talking about is how do I keep the people who are important in my life happy and satisfied with my level of involvement in their life. I think it starts by being honest with yourself about your priorities, sharing those priorities with people you love, asking about their priorities and then being willing to compromise. I think when these steps are followed, we get something called “work-life understanding.”

Community involvement and service: I really enjoy being active in the community. I have been involved with the Chalk Art Festival in Richland, the Children’s Developmental Center of Tri-Cities, Christ the King School, and Junior Achievement. I am also a graduate of Leadership Tri-Cities.

Favorite music?

I am a big fan of reggae music

Favorite sports team?

I cheer for the Cougs, particularly football

Favorite website or app?

Dave Ramsey,  popular financial advisor