This week I sit down with Valley Bank CEO, Ira Robbins. Valley has branches all over New Jersey, New York, and other states--including right here in Ridgewood. Ira has spent his entire career working at Valley.

He talks about the importance of culture, stakeholders and doing the right things. Ira shares with me how he balances his home and work life, including letting his kids hang out at the office before hockey practice down the street.

We also talk about the company’s recent pivots, like expanding into Florida and moving to a more hybrid work environment. And how Valley outperformed during the PPP rollout last year. Ira also shares his thoughts on current tax and interest rate policy, and what New Jersey’s leaders should be doing to actually improve the state’s economic direction. Hint: it’s not higher taxes.