Megan Lahay realized she wanted a future in banking at the young age of 18, going to college and working at Taco Bell.
“I thought to myself, I need a more grown-up job,” Lahay said.
That realization led her to take her mother’s advice and get a part-time teller job at Arvest Bank.
She worked as a teller and floater for six months before the branch manager asked if she’d considered a career in banking.
At the time Lahay was studying to be a dental hygienist. But she loved her customers, and she loved the work. So she shifted gears and made her education path more finance and marketing.
In 2010, Lahay was approached by the mortgage department at Arvest to learn how to process mortgage loans during the refinance boom. She went full time into banking and never looked back.
With a degree from Columbia College and a love for her field, Lahay had advanced over the years.
“It’s been a wild ride, but it’s been fun,” she said. “I jokingly tell people all the time, ‘I don’t know what I would do besides be a banker because I’ve done it since I was 18.’”
Being involved in the mortgage department during the recession taught Lahay time management and how to work in high-stress situations. But commercial banking has been a favorite area.
“It’s like the wild Wild West of lending,” she said. “It allows me to be a bit of a detective and find solutions.
“The two things I’ve learned most in my career is collaborating with others and that things don’t have to be black and white.”
Lahay is chair of Leadership Fayetteville Class 38 and a graduate of Leadership Fayetteville Class 31 and Leadership Arkansas Class 16.