Anna Barbieri and her sister, Tamera Perkins, launched White Elegance in 1994 after seeing a need for elegant white clothing for LDS Temple use. They started out small, with six representatives in Utah and just a handful of designs. The company started to grow – quickly.

In just 18 months, White Elegance had 36 representatives in 10 states, and had expanded its designs to include a variety of dresses, skirts and tops. In search of a local bank – one that would be available to them and one that offered valuable commercial services – Barbieri and Perkins came up empty, at first.

“A lot of the local banks we looked at weren’t able to provide the types of services we needed as a large commercial organization, such as wire transfers and other commercial banking services. We needed someone to be accessible, to have what we needed for commercial banking, and to be there for us when we needed them. Bank of Utah stepped right up,” said Barbieri.

White Elegance relies on Matthew Nelson, a Bank of Utah assistant vice president and relationship manager, to assist with their banking needs.

“I was super excited to become their banker because I know that their mission – to treat customers as more than transactions – aligns closely with Bank of Utah’s mission. We work to build relationships. We work together and partner with our clients to meet their needs because there’s nothing we love more than to see our customers succeed.”

In 2020, the pandemic dramatically affected White Elegance, while LDS Temples shut down to help slow the spread of COVID. Barbieri had to regroup, like many businesses. When she first heard about the Paycheck Protection Program, she felt a little “in the dark” as to how that would work and what information she would need to provide to the bank.

“Bank of Utah was there by our side the whole time, asking how we were doing, how they could help us. Whenever I needed Matt, I picked up the phone, and he was right there. He’s walked us through this entire pandemic, and it’s been a huge help.” – Anna Barbieri, CEO & Co-owner, White Elegance