Wendell Frank

Wendell Frank is a financial analyst for UPMC, where he’s worked for the last 2.5 years since graduating from Gettysburg College. He grew up in Zelienople and currently lives in Shadyside.

What have you liked about working with UPMC?

I’ve been a part of UPMC’s leadership development program since I started working here. The program gives you the opportunity to spend each of your first three years working with a different team in the company. It’s a great way to see what areas of the work you really like to do and how you fit in with the other teams.

I like the tremendous positive impact UPMC has on people. We’re a high-quality medical center, and we’re also pushing forward new, innovative business strategies in the healthcare field. The cost of healthcare has been causing major economic problems for people, and to work for a company that’s trying hard to reduce those costs is really interesting, challenging, and exciting.

What are some things you like to do outside of work?
I coach lacrosse. I’ve played lacrosse since middle school and it’s always been a big part of my life. Now I coach for a club team in Pittsburgh, which has been awesome. It keeps me involved in the game and allows me to help kids who are on a similar path to the one I was on. I coach kids who are in middle school up through juniors in high school, and It’s been interesting to coach the different ages. The older kids are focusing more on recruiting and where they’re going to go to college and the younger ones are there to have fun and learn more about the game. I enjoy both age groups.

When I’m not coaching lacrosse, I love to get outside. I do a lot of hunting, hiking, fishing, and a little bit of golf.

What do you like about living in Pittsburgh?

I like Pittsburgh’s size. It’s not so big that you feel like you get lost in it but it’s big enough to have a cool downtown area and a nice business community. In recent years it’s gone through a bit of a renaissance and it’s become packed with cool things to do, plus it’s got a really good food scene. I’ve really enjoyed living here.

How did you get involved with United Way?

UPMC has a strong partnership with United Way and there are lots of United Way-sponsored events. I did a few of those and saw that United Way does a ton of good in the community and they also have a lot of ways for people my age to get involved and start giving back. I knew for awhile I wanted to get involved with service work, and United Way provides so many opportunities to do that.

What do you like about United Way?

There are so many ways to get involved. You’re getting exposure to so many causes in the community, and you can give back through volunteerism, participating in events to help people in need or serving on committees where you can lend your expertise. I also like that United Way makes a real effort to help you develop professionally, through career-building workshops and young professional networking events. It’s great that I’m able to grow personally and professionally, while giving back and helping others.

What are some of your favorite United Way memories?
I’ve done the Hoodies for the Holidays event (now called Pull On the Pride) for the last three years, and UPMC makes a big deal out of it. All the teams compete against each other to see how many hoodies we can bring. It’s always really fun and it’s great to know the kids will benefit.

Also, I always like the part of every United Way event where an individual shares their story about how United Way’s work and partnerships have impacted them. The stories are always very moving and make me feel so happy about being involved with such a great organization.

Why is community involvement important to you?

The older I get, the more I recognize all of the help and benefits that I received growing up. It makes me realize that I’m lucky to have had that and that I need to give back so other people can have those experiences, too. Working at UPMC, we see people coming to us in their time of need and it highlights all the work that needs to be done. It’s helped remind me how important it is that I get out there and give back to the community.