UMPQUA Bank, a leading financial institution dedicated to delivering exceptional customer experience, embarked on a transformative journey with Cornerstone to innovate and elevate its workforce development strategies. With a deep-rooted culture centered around its “Do right together” ethos, Umpqua set out to create scalable, intuitive, and impactful talent development and performance strategies. By migrating its learning and performance programs into Cornerstone, the bank streamlined processes, elevated employee experience, and unlocked new internal growth and agility opportunities.
A Culture Committed to People and Progress
For Michelle Drager, SVP, Director of Talent and Experience at Umpqua Bank, talent development is far more than offering training courses. It’s about empowering employees to thrive professionally and personally—and, in turn, strengthening the bank’s service to customers and communities.
“We don’t just want to give people tools,” said Drager. “We want to give them pathways. It’s not just about moving up—it’s about growing deeper in your role and knowing you’re valued where you are.”
This philosophy is reflected in Umpqua’s Premier Banker Program, which offers structured development journeys with built-in skill assessments, project work, and financial rewards. Designed to promote both retention and internal mobility, the program had strong foundations—but scaling and modernizing it was a growing challenge.
Scaling Development with Impact
Before Cornerstone, Umpqua’s Premier Banker Program was entirely manual and paper-based. Application processes required scanning and emailing forms. Reporting was handled through disconnected spreadsheets. Tracking performance required hours of coordination—and completion often stalled due to administrative friction.
“When someone completed a phase, they’d have to gather 30 to 40 pages of documents,” said Drager. “It was inefficient, error-prone, and created delays across the board.”
Moreover, a recent bank merger introduced new systems, cultures, and methodologies that needed to be harmonized. The organization required flexible tools to handle existing challenges and new complexities.
A Shared Vision for Learning and Leadership
To overcome the challenges of scale, complexity, and inefficiency, Umpqua Bank turned to Cornerstone to create a unified approach to learning, performance, and succession. By implementing Cornerstone’s suite of talent management tools—branded internally as “Grow Together”—Umpqua transformed the employee experience across the organization. The platform provided a streamlined way to introduce new hires to development opportunities from day one. Associates were welcomed into the Premier Banker Program with automated onboarding messages and could begin participation by completing a brief online attestation.
From that point forward, Cornerstone was the centralized hub for the entire development journey. Employees could access all program components—coursework, skill assessments, reading materials, observation checklists, and performance milestones—within a single intuitive interface. This eliminated the need for paper forms, scanned documents, and manual submissions. Leaders, too, were empowered by the new system. They could track associate progress, complete observation checklists, and offer support through data-informed coaching. Meanwhile, senior retail leadership gained instant visibility into program engagement and milestones, making it easier to celebrate associate progress and encourage team participation. Cornerstone’s automation capabilities played a critical role in increasing efficiency. Notifications and incentive distribution were triggered automatically upon phase completion, significantly reducing the administrative workload for HR teams and managers. As Drager put it, “Cornerstone became the central point for navigating development. It’s intuitive for employees and empowers leaders to stay engaged in the journey.”
Tangible Results, Lasting Culture
The migration to Cornerstone drove measurable outcomes across multiple talent programs:
- Performance review completion rates rose from 78% to nearly 99%.
- Premier Program participation increased by over 100%, with more than 560 associates enrolled.
- Phase completions in the Premier Program jumped by over 200%.
- Administrative time savings totaled more than 240 labor hours annually.
Environmental impact: Over 3,500 pieces of paper were saved in the first year alone.
The cultural impact was just as profound. Associates now experience a more personalized and simplified development journey. Leaders have more time to coach. And senior leadership can celebrate success with real-time data.
“We want our people to feel seen. When a regional leader congratulates someone for completing a phase, that means something,” said Drager. “Cornerstone makes that visibility possible.”
A True Partnership, Proven in a Crisis
Drager underscored the authenticity of Cornerstone’s partnership—especially when the stakes were high. During a performance review cycle, a misstep accidentally removed all employee evaluations from the system.
“Our team’s hair was on fire,” Drager recalled. “We were in full contingency planning mode. But Cornerstone worked through the night with us, and by 9 a.m. the next morning, everything was restored.” It was one of many examples where Drager said Cornerstone delivered not only as a vendorbut as a trusted partner.
Evolving with Confidence
Since launching Cornerstone in May 2023, just five months after signing the contract, Umpqua has continuously evolved its platform usage. The bank has redesigned its landing page based on employee feedback, tested optimal ways to bundle compliance training, and begun leveraging Cornerstone for new succession planning strategies.
“We launched with a minimal viable product, and it was already a huge leap forward,” said Drager. “Now we’re optimizing and evolving continuously. Every improvement is a step toward deeper impact.”
For Drager, agility doesn’t mean things get easier. It means having the tools and confidence to face challenges with clarity. “Change will never be easy,” she said. “But with the right systems in place, people can believe I can figure this out. I can move forward.”
Drager has advocated for Cornerstone twice in her career—and she’s never looked back. “Most vendors promise a partnership. Cornerstone actually delivers it,” she said. “This platform gives us the flexibility, visibility, and partnership we need to support our people—and our purpose.”
