National banking leader U.S. Bank, which boasts over 3,000 branches in the U.S. – including 1,000 team members in Southern California and over 500,000 clients in the Los Angeles, Ventura & Santa Barbara communities – celebrates Norouz with the Persian community via Haft-Seen displays at 37 So Cal branches, highlighted by 9 such displays in Central and South Orange Country and 28 in Los Angeles County.
“As a company, U.S. Bank takes pride in the diversity of our employees and we are encouraged to share about our different cultures,” explained Hamed Tavajohi, a 20-year veteran of the banking industry who currently serves as Senior Vice President and Los Angeles Market Leader at U.S. Bank. “With this in mind, I felt empowered to share about my Iranian heritage with our Southern California Team members. The idea to celebrate and educate everyone about Nowruz was very natural for me and all of our Persian employees.”
U.S. Bank employees serving the greater Persian community in the Los Angeles area include Sholeh Assil at the La Brea branch; Amir Darabi, Mustafa Jalal, Ryan Said and Zoltan Sandors at the Westwood location; Raquel Henriquez, Roshanak Kavian, Hasan Sehji & Nate Asfaw in Pacific Palisades; Roya Tebby, Rebecca Panahi, Ricky Villar Sanchez & Tristen Stephens at the Wilshire Bundy branch; Ghazal Hedayatinia and Zainab J Dawood at the Topanga Canyon Vallarta location; Johnny Chon, Angelica Mejia, John Choi, Marat Gyulnazaryan & Moe Ayala at the Olympic & Figueroa branch.
Assistant Vice President & Project Analyst Michelle Mayer, who has been working with Javanan Magazine on the Norouz campaign for the past few years, has been an instrumental link between the Persian community and the Persian contingent at U.S. Bank.
Lucky clients who bank with U.S. Bank might’ve been surprised to see Michelle’s familiar face at a local Persian supermarket recently, as she scoured the shelves to personally fufill the haft-seen displays at several locations near her base. Now that’s what we call a personal touch and true commitment!
“I act as a liaison between our branches and the communities in which we serve” Mayer explained. “When the thought of showcasing the Iranian Culture was introduced for our branches to share in the celebration of Nowruz, I jumped at the opportunity to assist in coordinating the Haft-Seen displays. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the holiday and look forward to our employees and customers celebrating with us.”
Among the corporate ranks at U.S. Bank, there are also some other accomplished Persian figures like Sr. VP Tavajohi, including: Shahrzad Panahi, VP and Disctrict Manager; Omir Noori, Senior VP & Market Leader in LA & OC Counties for the Private Wealth Management division; and Reza Sarem Aslani, VP & Private Wealth Advisor Consultant.
We at Javanan look forward to engaging in a long-term relationship with Miss Mayer, Mr. Tavajohi and all of the great team members at U.S. Bank, and hope to feature one Persian employee in our magazine each month going forward.
To find the nearest U.S. Bank location near you, visit USBank.com!
