This is one of 12 finalists for the Herald Business Journal’s Emerging Leaders award, which seeks to highlight and celebrate people who are doing good work in Snohomish County. The winner will be named at an event on April 11. Meet the other finalists.
Name: Dan Leach
Age: 37
Profession: Senior vice president, branch manager, D.A. Davidson & Co. in Everett
It’s the simple things that can light up the world — whether it’s delivering turkeys to families that might not otherwise have a Thanksgiving dinner or giving needy kids a few dollars and taking them shopping so they can buy Christmas presents for their family, said Dan Leach.
Their “eyes just light up,” said Leach, senior vice president of D.A. Davidson & Co. in Everett, a financial management firm.
Leach took over the business from his father, a financial advisor, who retired in 2016.
On the job and off, Leach is committed to meeting the needs of Snohomish County residents.
“My professional and personal visions are both represented in my belief of leading by example,” he wrote in his nomination statement.
“Whether you are parenting or managing, you must always provide a good role model. I also strongly believe in giving back to the community and I encourage my colleagues to do this as well. This is illustrated by our annual D.A. Davidson Day of Giving. Each year we pinpoint and highlight an area of our community that needs attention by volunteering as a group,” Leach wrote.
“I also encourage colleagues to volunteer in our community individually,” he said.
Outside of work, Leach is president of the Rotary Club of South Everett/Mukilteo.
He was drawn to the nonprofit organization because of its emphasis on service above self.
“Growing up, my parents instilled in me a sense of community,” Leach said.
Each year, the group raises more than $100,000 “that all goes back to the community,” he said.
Through Rotary, Leach and others have been able to help some of the “overlooked sides of the community,” he said.
A few years ago, Rotary partnered with students at Kamiak High School in Mukilteo.
They wanted to honor the victims of the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
To do that, students decided to fund a new well in Buchanan, Liberia.
“We connected them with a nonprofit group that constructs wells in Liberia,” Leach said.
Kamiak raised enough money to build a well that provides clean drinking water for families in the area, he said.
Leach’s other affiliations have included Providence Regional Medical Center, Homage Senior Services (formerly Senior Services of Snohomish County), the YMCA of Snohomish County and the Community Ministry Board and Cocoon House.
“I always hope to inspire people with my enthusiasm,” he said.
Janice Podsada; jpodsada@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3097; Twitter: JanicePods
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