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Mayor leaving banking behind

by ELLI GOLDMAN HILBERT
Staff Writer | February 24, 2022 1:00 AM

POST FALLS — Banker's hours are almost over for Ron Jacobson.

But the night meetings? That's a different story.

After 44 years in the banking industry, Jacobson is retiring Friday. However, he's going to keep serving the community as its mayor.

Politics remains a priority for Jacobson — but not the only one.

Travel by foot, furry or otherwise, is in the plans.

“My wife has informed me that I will be joining her every morning for walks with our dog,” Jacobson said.

He also plans to spend more time with his wife, Susan, their four children and six grandchildren. Avid adventurers, Ron and Susan Jacobson recently returned from a fishing trip in Brazil.

Travel is also assured just to see the kids. They're spread all over: San Francisco, St. Louis, Lewiston and Moscow, Idaho.

“With the kids and grandkids, as long as we’re available, if we get a phone call that they need some assistance, to watch kids or visit, I want to be available for that,” Jacobson said.

Susan worries that he'll get bored in retirement, Jacobson said. But he is passionate about numerous hobbies, like woodworking and golf. There won't be time to get bored.

“We’ve always got something going on,” he said.

Following a trip during the winter holidays with his entire family to the Turks and Caicos islands as well as a fishing trip to Brazil with Susan, Jacobson is back in the office as senior vice president of bankcda. After his retirement, he has plans for a golf trip to Scottsdale, Ariz., an Alaskan fishing adventure and a journey to Germany with Susan.

On the trip to Brazil, the Jacobsons fished the Amazon River, catching piranha and peacock bass. They saw monkeys, caiman alligators, dolphins and sea otters.

Susan, an avid hiker, wanted to experience a jungle hike, Jacobson said. With the help of Portuguese fishing guides, they headed into the thick brush.

“They had machetes and they’re cutting trails, because there’s no trails,” Jacobson said. “Then you hear this loud, rapid speaking in Portuguese.”

The guides were in a bit of an uproar, having almost stepped on a poisonous snake, Jacobson said. At that point, Susan decided the hike was over, he said with a chuckle.

Jacobson is a graduate of North Idaho College who received his B.S. in accounting from the University of Idaho. He got involved in banking, he said, for a pretty good reason: He was offered a job.

“I’ve had an interesting career in banking, because I didn’t set out to be a commercial lender,” Jacobson said. “I started out in the management training program.”

Jacobson’s first position was as a controller for First National Bank of North Idaho. Six years later, in 1987, he was offered a position as chief financial officer at Eastern Washington Savings and Loan in Wenatchee, Wash.

“My first day on the job, my two right-hand people said, ‘Did anybody tell you about the potential three-quarters of a million dollar problem we have?'” Jacobson said.

His team began to investigate and discovered that the president had been “cooking the books,” Jacobson said. That discovery led Jacobson to bring the information to the U.S. Attorney General in Walla Walla. Eventually Jacobson testified on behalf of the government in front of a grand jury in Spokane. The president was indicted.

Experiences like that helped Jacobson learn to be flexible.

“You just never know what’s going to happen,” he said.

Following the debacle, Jacobson went to work for Washington Trust Bank in Spokane, in the private banking department. He credits his success in the industry to the relationships he cultivated with his clients. Many of those relationships lasted decades.

“You’ve got to be able to take care of your customers. You’ve got to be responsive,” Jacobson said. “You’ve got to understand what their needs are, and your word has to be good.”

Many of Jacobson’s clients followed him when he moved to bankcda, he said.

“The customer base I’ve developed over the years has allowed me to continue to expand my book of business, so to speak, without having to go out and cold call,” Jacobson said. “Relationships are huge.”

Jacobson’s philosophy is that people don’t bank somewhere because of the bank name on the business card, but rather because of the people who work there.

Over the years, Jacobson has been committed to his community. A former member of Post Falls Rotary, Jacobson was named Rotarian of the Year in 2010.

He served as a board member for the North Idaho College Foundation, Jobs Plus Urban Renewal Agency and Holy Family Catholic School. He is also a former chair of the Post Falls Parks and Recreation Commission.

Balancing a successful career, extensive community service and a busy family life has gone well for Jacobson. Support from his family and the companies he’s worked for has been paramount, he said.

“Because I’ve been productive at the banks that I’ve worked for, they’ve been very supportive,” Jacobson said. “I’ve been fortunate that when we’ve been on vacation somewhere, I’ll get phone calls from clients. My wife is supportive of me talking to them on vacation. It’s worked out really well.”

Jacobson credits his happy, 42-year marriage to Susan entirely to her.

“She’s a saint,” Jacobson said.

A saint who probably doesn't need to worry about her retired husband getting bored.

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Photo courtesy of Ron Jacobson

Ron and Susan Jacobson in front of a Brazil sunset last month.

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Photo courtesy of Ron Jacobson

Jacobson caught this piranha during his trip to Brazil and managed to hang onto all 10 fingers.