8 HќќѠіђџȱ юћјђџ юћѢюџѦ 2014 Board Review *UHJRU\ 0D[ZHOO 3UHVLGHQW DQG &KLHI ([HFXWLYH 2IÀFHU )DUPHUV 6WDWH %DQN 0HQWRQH Northeast Region Director, IBA Board of Directors M¢ȱȂȱ¢ǰȱęȱȱǰȱ starts with family. I am a father, a grandfather and a husband to Julie. ȱȱȱȱ ȱ Ȃȱǰȱȱę- dler and a proud community banker at Farmers State Bank, Mentone. ȱ ȱ ȱȱȱ ǰȱ ȱ I worked on farms and became familiar with farm life. My father was a longtime district sales manager for an animal feed company, and my mother worked at a bank for years. Thus two constants were embedded into my work life: agriculture and banking. ȱ ¢ȱȱȱȱȱŗşŝřȱȱȱ ȱ ¢ȱ National Bank. I lucked upon my entrance into banking when an acquaintance called to inform me that the bank was looking for a general banking trainee. I had already gained prior experience as a student at Ball State University, service in the U.S. Army and a few short stints in the work force, and was eager to start building a solid career. From the start, I enjoyed banking and its close ties with people. Most of my career has revolved around lending, and there is a great deal of satisfaction in helping people reach their goals. ȱ ȱŗşŞŖȱ ȱȱȱ ěȱȱ ȱȱȱ ȱ ȱ ¢ǯȱ ȱȱȱȱęȱ¢ǰȱȱȱ to community banking at The Old First National Bank, ěǰȱȱȱȱȱȱǯ I became bank president in 1994 and continued in that role until 1999, when the bank — which was a part of Fort Wayne National Corp. — was sold to National City. ȱ ȱ ¢ǰȱ¢ȱȱ ȱęȱȱȱ executive. It was a fun and exciting position, with lots of travel, but after a time I began to seek a more traditional community banking role. That opportunity came when Farmers State ȱěȱȱȱȱȱȱȱȱ¡ȱ Ĝǯȱ ȱȱ¢ȱ ȱȱȱ ǯȱŗǰȱŘŖŖŝǯ Today my responsibility is to manage all of our banking ǰȱ ȱȱȱȱȱȱěǯȱ ȱ most community banks, about 80 percent of our assets are in loans, so my primary focus is on the loan portfolio and the credit process. My career developed on the lending side of banking. I began by making car loans, then grew into making house loans, giving me the satisfaction of helping people through a major step in their lives. Later I became a business and ag lender, helping business owners start or save businesses, and helping farmers protect their assets. This consultative role is what we all strive for as community bankers. This role extends outside of our institutions to the wider community, as well. Like my banking peers, I am community-connected. I am particularly active as chairman the ȱ ȱ ȱ ǯǰȱȱȱ development company. As bankers, we understand how important it is to protect our economy. I am fortunate to work in Kosciusko County, known as the “orthopedic capital of the world.” In fact 50 percent of orthopedic products worldwide are made in Warsaw, Ind. It all began, incidentally, with a pharmacist who formed a company that made slings for injuries. His company ȱȱȱȱǰȱȱęȱȱȱ knees. Eventually a cluster of corporate headquarters had formed in the area, creating a strong economic base. I believe in protecting the economy, and I believe in protecting the Indiana banking community. For this reason, I am glad to serve on the Indiana Bankers Association board of directors, because I value IBA’s role in safeguarding our industry. Certainly the educational component of IBA is important, especially to smaller institutions like ours. The smaller the bank, the more dependent we are on consultants and outsourcing of every type. At Farmers State Bank, we have the highest trust in the quality of the education and training that IBA provides. Trust is critical in the banking profession, and I’ve been fortunate to work with many trustworthy people who have helped me develop my career. I especially want to ȱ ȱȱȯȱ ȱ ěǰȱ ȱȱȱȱȱ of directors of Old First National Bank, and Jim Johnston, who was president of the Fort Wayne National Corp. These gentlemen believed in me and helped guide me into leadership. I certainly want to thank my family, too. Just as my ȱȱȱ¢ȱȱȱęǰȱȱȱ¢ȱǯȱ Julie and I are fortunate that all of our four children and 10 grandchildren are doing well, and all live within a three-hour drive of us. You may know one of our sons, Sam Maxwell. He is a ȱȱ ȱ ȱ ȱȱ ǰȱȱ IBA-member institution. I am proud that, for the last sev- ȱ¢ǰȱ ȱȱȱȱȱȱȱŗŖȱȱ ȱ corporate bankers nationwide. Julie and I are very happy to be in Kosciusko County. ȱ ȱȱȱȱȱ ȱȱŘŖŖŜǰȱ ȱ ȱȱ that Kosciusko County is “God’s country.” After only a short time, I have come to agree. ASSOCIATION UPDATE
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