D.L. Evans Bank: Where Customers Become Friends
One of my favorite things about working in Murray is discovering how often a new acquaintance turns out to have a familiar connection. Getting to know Julie Taylor, Vice President and Senior Business Development Officer at D.L. Evans Bank, and Branch Manager Sam Taylor was no exception. I appreciated their time, enjoyed their stories, and quickly recognized our shared love of Murray.
Credit: Julie Taylor
I will never get tired of questions that begin with “are you related to…?” Sam asked if I knew Bryce DeMann. “Of course, that’s my oldest brother!” Sam’s son has played soccer with my nephew Colton over the years.
Julie went on to explain that familial connections are also woven into D.L. Evans’ history. The Evans family’s mother, Gwen, arrived in the Salt Lake Valley after a two-year journey from Wales in 1852 before moving to Idaho’s Malad Valley in 1871. In 1904, brothers David Lloyd and Lorenzo Lloyd Evans helped establish D.L. Evans Bank in Albion, Idaho. Its beginnings were modest: a mercantile store and $25,000 in capital. More than a century later, the bank continues serving communities across Idaho and Utah.
Julie’s own banking story began a week after high school graduation with what she thought would be a part-time summer job. We joked that it turned out to be a very good summer job.
“It was never the plan,” she said. But the relationships she developed turned an unexpected opportunity into a rewarding career. Long-time colleagues feel like family and customers like close friends.
After many years at a local community bank, Julie and several colleagues leaped at the opportunity to join forces with D.L. Evans Bank. She encouraged the team to settle with her in Murray. “I picked this location,” she explained. “I love it.”
Sam, now 25 years into banking, entered the profession through a cousin’s connection. He has worked with Julie for more than two decades and describes her customer service as “next level.” Always going the extra mile to ensure everyone is taken care of. She even visits some customers’ offices weekly to help with their banking needs.
That commitment extends throughout the team. Sam recalled a time when their group recognized that an older customer was being defrauded. They stepped in to intervene before he withdrew $50,000 to give to the bad actor.
Outside the branch, Julie and Sam both enjoy traveling far and wide. Julie seeks out Italy’s lesser-known corners and, at home, always seems to have a new design project underway. Children’s sporting events and family vacations are two of Sam’s favorite things. He and his wife have taken their children to 49 states, with Alaska planned for next summer. Their literal “last frontier”.
The founders’ chapter belongs to history, but the family stories continue. Today’s Evans family members, alongside dedicated employees like Julie, Sam, and their colleagues, are helping the bank grow by caring for the communities they serve. Here in Murray, that legacy carries on through familiar faces, personal relationships—and occasionally, a connection made on the soccer field.
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