After graduating with a degree in business administration and management from Carroll College, Marcus Atkinson got his start in the world of business and finance working at TitleOne as an accountant and then accounting lead, and then for St. Luke’s Health System as a finance analyst and finance manager.

In 2018, Atkinson accepted the role of chief financial officer for Cutting Edge Landscape, a position he held for four years. In 2022, he advanced to president of the company, where he still serves today.

In his leadership position, he oversees the company’s daily operations, outlines strategic goals, and helps guide the company into long-term success. Since taking the reins, the company has grown significantly and established itself as a prominent landscaping business with its main location in Garden City, one in Nampa and a third in Salt Lake City.

As commercial banking director, Andy Beitia specializes in agricultural lending, industrial lending and commercial lending for clients around Idaho, Washington and Oregon. With more than three decades of experience in the banking industry and more than 17 served at Washington Trust Bank, he oversees the bank’s teams in those states and takes care in leading them toward success while meeting strategic growth goals.

Outside of the bank, Beitia enjoys community volunteering and is a part of the Boise Chamber of Commerce, the board of Boise Valley Economic Partnership and the board of Caldwell Basque Charities. He’s also an advisory board member at the University of Idaho College of Business.

He earned his MBA from Boise State University, an undergraduate degree in finance from University of Idaho, and is a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School in Seattle.

With an emphasis on loan origination, superior customer service and mortgage lending, Jennifer Bender has thrived as a loan officer for Academy Mortgage Corporation for the past 18 years. The company was acquired by Guild Mortgage in 2024.

In her role, Bender is focused on integrity-based lending and takes great pride in working with each client to provide mortgage services that help them reach their goals. Whether it’s first-time homebuyers or those who have put down roots in Idaho for many decades, she guides them through the loan process and is also adept in offering refinancing solutions. With clear communication, attention to detail, and wraparound support from beginning to end, Bender is honored to have worked with hundreds of clients over the course of her nearly 20-year career.

Outside of her work, Bender stays active in the community and prioritizes building her professional network to ensure clients get exactly what they need.

With more than three decades of expertise in the mortgage industry, people all across the Gem State know Suzi Boyle’s name.

She explains that empathy, experience, knowledge and work ethic are the keys to her long-term success in a high burnout industry and she proudly averages 17-day closings with a 92% client retention rate. She also says that being in the business long enough to originate third-generation loans for families is also an incredible honor. Over the course of her career, she’s closed 8,000 loans with 1,200 VA loans specifically.

Boyle shares that when she had a stroke in 2010, she had to sit on the sidelines for a couple of years to heal. Working her way back, both physically and personally, took time and perseverance, but now she’s full speed ahead and there’s likely no stopping her. Outside of the career she loves, Boyle is also incredibly dedicated to her community and has sponsored more than 500 charity events in the last few decades.

With more than three decades of banking expertise under his belt, one thing is certain: Todd Cooper knows how to put people and communities first. He began his banking career with First Security Bank in 1989, which was then acquired by Wells Fargo in 2001. With Wells Fargo, he continued to demonstrate his leadership ability, building and leading teams across multiple states.

Cooper then joined the team at Boise State University as the director of economic development and then in 2020 stepped into the role of chief operating officer for Idaho First Bank. It wasn’t too long before he was promoted to president and then chief operating officer where today, he enjoys cultivating relationships with business leaders, families, entrepreneurs and much more.

Outside of the bank, Cooper enjoys being outside, playing guitar and volunteering at various nonprofits around Idaho.

John V. (J.V.) Evans III began working at the Burley branch of D.L. Evans Bank as a kid pulling weeds and sweeping the parking lot. While completing his undergraduate degree in finance, he worked as a teller at the bank and then slowly worked his way up over the years to various leadership roles.

Today, he is a fifth-generation banker and was appointed CEO of the bank three years ago.

In a 2024 interview, Evans spoke of the role models he had in the world of finance and how they have guided him in his role today saying, “I am grateful to have my father, John V. Evans, Jr., as my role model and mentor. My father has embodied qualities of guidance, leadership, integrity and active involvement in the community … My late grandfather, John V. Evans Sr., whom we all fondly referred to as ‘the Gov,’ is also someone I look up to as my role model. He was a person of exceptional character and unwavering commitment to his state, his communities and his family.”