Robert Kain

Vice President, Commercial Banking, United Bank; Age 38

Robert Kain moved to Western Mass. just over five years ago, but has enjoyed a strong sense of support and community since relocating.

That’s been important for him, his wife Alex — a professor of astrophysics at UMass Amherst — and their two sons. Originally from Lethbridge, Alberta in Canada, Kain is far away from the country, landscape, and people he once recognized as home.

“That said, we moved here and established roots here; we both enjoy what we do, and have felt embraced by the Western Mass. community,” he said — so much so that he’s felt compelled to give back in myriad ways.

A long-time banking professional, Kain earned a bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Lethbridge and first worked as a portfolio manager with the Bank of Montreal. Upon arriving in Western Mass., he served as a credit analyst and later a commercial lender with People’s United Bank, and now holds the title of vice president, commercial banking with United Bank, specializing in commercial loans and investment real-estate loans.

Kain is a long-time contributor to youth and healthcare causes, having volunteered for several youth and healthcare-based organizations throughout his career. He began at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver coordinating fund-raisers, and moved on to similar roles with D.A.R.E., Junior Achievement, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Kid’s Help Phone — Canada’s only free, 24-hour telephone and online counseling service — and youth basketball camps.

Most recently, he’s applied his skills as a volunteer with Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s finance committee, and served for three years on the board of directors for the Gray House, a private, nonprofit, social-service agency in Springfield’s North End that provides food, clothing, and educational services to individuals and families with immediate and transitional needs.

While the Rockies are far to the west of him now, Kain spends much of his personal time outdoors with his family, hiking in and around their new hometown of Amherst, and occasionally taking advantage of a regional golf course or two. He credits his employers with helping to create a happy life in a new place.

“Work-life balance is promoted by the bank, and this area has a lot to offer,” he said. “It’s been great to be able to work my way up, but the highlight, I feel, has been that I’ve been in a fortunate position with my leaders and mentors. They’ve put me in a position to be successful.”

— Jaclyn Stevenson

Photography by Leah Martin Photography