7 Hoosier Banker November 2014 I am lucky to be a banker. Banking was not my first career choice. Instead I began my career as a bank examiner for the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions (DFI). Before graduating from Indiana University, several organizations came to campus to recruit, including the FDIC. Through them, I met John Schroeder, a DFI deputy director. He persuaded me to interview with DFI recruiters, who sold me on the educational opportunities. So after graduation, right after 9/11, I went to work as an examiner. I was assigned to the southern half of the state, working with about 55 banks. It was an opportunity to meet and get to know a lot of bankers. The job required some traveling coast to coast, so my wife Julie and I had the chance to visit California, New York, Las Vegas and other great locations. It was fun and exciting, but that all changed in 2008 when our oldest child was born. With both Julie and me traveling extensively for work, something had to give. Fortunately I had the chance to join North Salem State Bank as chief financial officer. I thought it would be a quiet, nine-to-five job but, as any community banker knows, it doesn’t work that way. Most days I’m at work before 6 a.m. The hours are long but flexible, allowing me to prioritize family – the culture of this bank. Even now that I’m president and chief executive officer, I’ve never had to miss a practice, a game, a sick kid or even a dentist appointment. Everybody at this bank knows that family comes first. That commitment makes for better, more loyal employees. It’s amazing how dedicated our people are. My function, as with all CEOs, is to help our bank make money, which we do by providing quality customer service. Consequently I spend a lot of time at the branches, meeting with new and potential customers, or helping to resolve problems. There’s a lot of “windshield time” – driving around meeting with folks, talking with bank officers and going to chamber events. I also do anything from making loans to managing our 70 employees to cleaning restrooms. It’s a typical community bank president’s responsibility. Luckily I’ve had a lot of good mentors along the way. When I started at the DFI, Paul Brockman, who was my boss, and Jim Cooper, former deputy director, took me under their wings and led me through the learning process. They even persuaded me to go back to school at night to get my MBA at Indiana University. I also met a lot of great bankers, like Bob Heuchan in Franklin, while I was examining banks. He and others helped me learn the business of banking. Now that I’m involved with IBA, my network has deepened and widened. There are people like Pat Glotzbach, Steve Denhart and others who I can call anytime if I need help or just have questions. My most influential mentor is John Colvin, chairman of North Salem State Bank. When I was first appointed president, John met with me every morning for coffee. We met at 5:30 or 6 a.m., which was late for John. We’d review what had happened the day before, what problems to be prepared for, and which of our customers might need help. And as a 31-year-old “kid,” I needed all the help I could get. John gave me guidance above and beyond what I expected, and he still does. On days that he doesn’t come into the bank, he’ll text me to see how things are going, or to ask about my kids. He even comes to my boys’ baseball and football games. John helped instill our bank’s culture of community service and focus on the people around us. We have employees on nearly every board of every civic organization in the four counties we serve. We run fairs, we coach Little League teams, we’re out in the community every day. It’s also in our bloodline to be a part of the political arena. We stay involved with our bank trade associations, so we can have a say in the legislative process. We have a state legislator, Rep. Thompson, serving on our board – a reminder of our responsibility as bankers to support our PACs and to educate our elected leaders on banking issues. Even though I’m here at the bank before 6 o'clock most mornings, and going to my sons’ sports practices and games six evenings a week and on weekends (both Julie and I are team coaches), I make sure I’m involved with the IBA. It’s an honor to be serving on the IBA board of directors. Home life is wildly busy, but it’s helpful that Julie’s job as human resources manager for National Starch is part-time. She works from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., giving her time to drive the boys to and from school. Her company allows her this schedule, because she’s so good at what she does. Apart from sports, our family also spends time together on our pontoon boat. In nice weather, we take it to a lake in Owen County for fishing, swimming and other water activities. We live out in the country on 45 acres, and Julie has gotten our sons into gardening. She does lots of canning, and she’s teaching the boys to pick vegetables and experiment with different recipes and flavors. She’ll say, “Let’s go pick green beans,” and they’ll grab their buckets and go. They’ll even eat what they pick. It’s a nice life working at a community bank with dedicated staff, being part of a community I enjoy, and raising sons who stay busy with sports and the outdoors. Julie and I definitely enjoyed our past travels, but now I’m hard-pressed to leave my happy home. It’s a great life, and I’m lucky to be sharing it with so many good people. Board Review Matthew W. Howrey, IBA Southwest Region Director North Salem State Bank FEATURE
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