At a Glance
Legacy by James Kerr—What the All Blacks can teach us about the business of life.
What movie do you recommend to everyone you know?
To be honest, I don’t watch a lot of movies. I watch hockey and news [he laughs]. But a recent movie that I did watch was Free Solo; it’s a huge adrenaline rush.
What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work?
I visit with my beautiful wife, Nancy, and then after that I usually get a little exercise before dinner.
If you couldn’t live in Alaska, what’s your dream locale?
Somewhere that had a lot of mountains and is sunny, so Colorado or Idaho, but honestly I really love living in Alaska.
If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?
It would be a bald eagle. I have fond memories of canoeing and rafting and lots of rivers in Alaska, and I really admire the grace and the beauty and the strength of those birds.
At a Glance
Legacy by James Kerr—What the All Blacks can teach us about the business of life.
What movie do you recommend to everyone you know?
To be honest, I don’t watch a lot of movies. I watch hockey and news [he laughs]. But a recent movie that I did watch was Free Solo; it’s a huge adrenaline rush.
What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work?
I visit with my beautiful wife, Nancy, and then after that I usually get a little exercise before dinner.
If you couldn’t live in Alaska, what’s your dream locale?
Somewhere that had a lot of mountains and is sunny, so Colorado or Idaho, but honestly I really love living in Alaska.
If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?
It would be a bald eagle. I have fond memories of canoeing and rafting and lots of rivers in Alaska, and I really admire the grace and the beauty and the strength of those birds.
Off the Cuff
oe Schierhorn is the chairman, president, and CEO of Northrim Bank. He stepped into the role of president and CEO in June 2017 after a long career at Northrim that started in 1990 when he was hired as vice president, commercial loan officer, and regulatory compliance manager. “One of the things that attracted me to the finance industry was the ability to deal with people,” Schierhorn says, which is his favorite part of his daily work. “As the bank has grown, so many of our customers too have grown… [and I’ve] developed strong personal relationships with a number of customers over almost a thirty-year time period. I really like developing long-term relationships.”
Joe Schierhorn: I hike a lot with my beautiful wife and our dog in the mountains around Anchorage and cross-country ski when we have snow… [We] travel a lot—all three of our boys live outside of the state right now.
AB: Is there a skill you’re currently developing or have always wanted to learn?
Schierhorn: I take a lot of pictures… it’s a passion of mine, generally of family and friends and so forth. If I was to have the time I’d like to learn how to take photos better.
AB: What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?
Schierhorn: Probably whitewater kayak down the Nenana River after kayaking for oh, probably a month. It went okay [he laughs].
AB: What’s your go-to comfort food?
Schierhorn: Lemon chicken and risotto. My wife makes it best.
AB: Other than your current career, if you were a kid today, what would your dream job be?
Schierhorn: I’ve had a lot of fantastic experiences flying in and around Alaska, and I would say being a pilot.
AB: What’s your favorite way to exercise?
Schierhorn: Hiking and skiing, working out, and walking with the dog.
Schierhorn: Kenny G.
AB: What’s your greatest extravagance?
Schierhorn: Probably all the flying that we do to visit our kids… We do spend a lot of time traveling now that the kids are spread throughout the United States and Europe.
AB: What’s your best attribute and worst attribute?
Schierhorn: I’m really good at dealing with people both in the business and outside the bank. I’m very comfortable talking with new people and engaging them, whether they’re customers at the bank or just people that we meet in our various travels. As far as a weakness, I think I can be impatient. So I’m constantly following up with people here at the bank and my wife would say I’m somewhat impatient with our kids sometimes.
