10 HќќѠіђџȱ юћјђџ юџѐѕȱ2014 COVER STORY As president and chief executive Ĝȱȱ Ĵȱ ȱ ȱȱ of G.S.B. Financial Corp., Mark S. Fogt, 60, is a community leader in an area renowned for its transportation ¢ǯȱ ȱ ȱȱ Ĵǰȱ Ind., is located in western DeKalb County, “The Hub of Transportation Heritage.” The town itself was named ȱȱ ȱ ǯȱ Ĵǰȱȱ of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in the mid/late 1800s. ȱ ǯȱ ĴȂȱȱ contribution to transport history was ȱȱȬȱ Ĵȱ to Chicago by laying track across the relatively level terrain of northern Ohio and Indiana. His namesake town was formed in 1876 as a divisional-point connection to Chicago, at that time the railroad center of the United States. Mark Fogt’s career trajectory likewise connects Midwest with East Coast. Born and raised in Ohio, he began his career in his home state, ȱȱȱęȱ ȱȱ ȱ Inter-Community Bank in New Jersey, then returned to the Midwest in 1994 as president and CEO of Ĵȱ ȱ ǯ Current community involvement includes service as president of the board of directors of Junior Achievement of DeKalb County, as a board ȱȱĜȱȱȱ ȱ Health Medical Group, as a trustee for the IBA Health Insurance Trust, and as a member of the City of Gar- Ĵȱ ȱȱ ȱ ȱȱ - ty. Fogt was chairman of the board of directors of the Community Bankers Association of Indiana in 2002, and the same year was granted a Sagamore of the Wabash. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Findlay and an MBA from the University of Dayton. Hoosier Banker recently interviewed Fogt about his career and banking outlook. What are your responsibilities as president/CEO ȱ Ĵȱ ȱ ȱȱȱ ǯ ǯ ǯȱ Financial Corp.? “Mostly my role is in directing and keeping the big picture in view. I review the general ledger every day to gauge how we are progressing, and I participate in meetings to help plan our goals. I also meet with some customers, though not as often as I used to. “The banking business has changed dramatically in the last 10 years. To stay relevant, community banks have to adapt to the changing Ĵȱȱȱǯ “For example we’re in the process of redoing our lobby, because we Ȃȱȱęȱȱ ȱ anymore. It’s unusual to have as many as 10 customers in the lobby at the same time, because so much more of today’s business is done electronically or online. “One of our historic strengths in the community banking system is that our customers always had a name, a face and a phone number. If they had a question, a need or a problem, they knew who to call. “In today’s electronic environment, we want to ensure that customers still have a name, a face, a phone number and now an email address, so that if they have a question, a need or a problem, they know who to contact. Our challenge is to keep that community banking system and concept working for the next generation. ȱ ȃ ȂȱĴȱȱȱȱ college interns, who are more Ĵȱȱȱȱ ¢ȱȱȱ today’s customers. What they are telling us is that younger clients don’t want canned messages. They Mark Fogt: Level-Headed Leader *DUUHWW 6WDWH %DQN IRXQGHG LQ KRXVHV LWV RULJLQDO ÀOLQJ V\VWHP DQG OHGJHU
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