Sigma Nu - University of Washington

SIGMA NU 4 W hen Steve Jarvis '85 arrived at the University of Washington, he was seeking an environment where he was surrounded by people who believed they could achieve anything they set their minds to, all while supporting each other. at's exactly what Steve found when he met the men of Sigma Nu during recruitment. e decision to join set the tone for Steve's successful career and has led to many accomplishments. "ere was friendship, brotherhood, laughter, and inclusion that I hadn't seen elsewhere," Steve said. "e athlete, gooall, calendar guy, and bookworm were all equally respected and included. And these guys were smart, holding the highest cumulative GPA in the Greek system. It was a study hard, play hard culture that I wanted to be my college experience." Steve's life continued to be shaped by his brothers even aer his Sigma Nu undergraduate experience. Before Steve's career took off at Alaska Airlines, he worked for Todd Tarbert '81 at an early Internet startup. Todd's teachings prepared Steve to thrive as Alaska Airlines' youngest vice president in the 70-year history at that time and secured him the interviews to lead the airline's new e-commerce division. "We were the first domestic airline to book tickets over the internet. We invented web check-in and wireless check-in, rebuilt the airport experience with kiosks and self-baggage check, and generally led the industry in customer innovations," Steve said. "I was proud to be named to the Puget Sound Business Journal's 40 Under 40. When I departed, I was leading all of marketing, sales, and customer experience with about 16,000 employees in my group." Aer a one-year layover with Concur Technologies, Steve landed at Expedia, which was an awesome final chapter of his corporate life. Dara Khosrowshahi, who is now the CEO of Uber, recruited Steve to Expedia to "fix the air business." "We increased the market capitalization of the company from $4 billion to $19 billion in my time there," Steve said. "A highlight for me was managing an international business that took me all over the world along the way." When Steve le Expedia at the age of 50, he still had no intentions of retiring. He created a personal mantra of learning and giving. On the learning side, he wanted to do something outside of the travel business. One the giving side, Steve wanted to spend his time on activities that tangibly made people's lives better. Serving as a limited partner at Unlock Venture Partners and as CEO of CredHub have fit that bill perfectly. "At Unlock, we're investing in technology founders seed and pre-seed. We've invested in 23 companies so far, founding 12 of them. ese startups cross a wide variety of verticals, each disruptive in their own way and all growing like crazy. All are making people's lives better through technology," Steve said. "CredHub is a credit reporting and ID the protection business that I founded with three partners. We're helping those that need it most with their financial health. We have almost 150,000 clients and are growing fast." e growth of CredHub and Unlock have allowed Steve to reflect on how much he's grown personally because of Sigma Nu. He's had the pleasure of passing down what he's learned from Gamma Chi to his son, Ben, and stepson, Matthew. Steve and his wife, Andrea, are incredibly proud of them both. You can connect with Steve at sjarvis720@gmail.com. FLYING HIGH BECAUSE OF GAMMA CHI Steve Jarvis '85 Shares What Sigma Nu Means to Him Patrick Leewens '82 (Continued from page 3) supervises safety, quality, and productivity. His experience with Sigma Nu undoubtedly set him up for success in his role at Leewens Corporation and prepared him to be a respected, supportive leader and a team player. "rough Sigma Nu, I learned to support a team. I have employees who have been with us for well over 30 years," he shared. "I'm most proud of the work my team has accomplished in addition to being the preferred installing contractor for Boeing and other large customers." While at Gamma Chi Chapter, Patrick realized that taking advantage of opportunities with hard work, calculated risk, determination, and sticking with it are what leads to success. He also learned that respect and friendship are incredibly important, especially in a large yet tight-knit group, and that getting past disappointments are a must in order to succeed. Learning how to socialize was another important aspect of his Sigma Nu experience and led to lifelong friendships and lasting memories. "e road trips we used to take for social functions are among my best memories, along with dances and celebrations," he said. "I regularly keep in touch with and meet with a dozen fraternity brothers for Christmas dinners, Husky games, hunting, sailing, and skiing trips." Patrick lives in Kirkland, Washington, and he can be reached at pat@leewens.com. To find out more about Leewens Corporation, visit www. leewens.com. What three words best describe Gamma Chi Chapter? "Successful, social, and supportive."

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