10 Hoosier Banker September 2014 COVER STORY Bill Harrod: Small Town, Big Values Small-town values loom large in the banking career of William W. Harrod, 58. As president, chief executive officer and director of First Harrison Bank, Corydon, and as president, CEO and director of First Capital Inc., Harrod respects the value of trust as the key to community banking. Harrod’s career in banking began with Louisville Trust Bank in 1978. He later was named to positions as president and CEO of Harrison County Bank and as president and CEO of HCB Bancorp Inc. He also was a director of HCB Bancorp. Active in banking statewide, in 2001 Harrod served as president of the Community Bankers Association of Indiana. He currently serves the Indiana Bankers Association as a BANKPAC captain. Harrod was named to his positions with First Capital in 2000 and with First Harrison Bank in 2012. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Eastern Kentucky University and completed the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin. Hoosier Banker interviewed Bill Harrod at First Harrison Bank’s main office in Corydon, Indiana’s first state capitol. What are your responsibilities with First Harrison Bank and First Capital Inc. holding company? “My first responsibility is to lay out the strategic vision for the bank and holding company. “Second, I work with our senior management team in looking for safe and sound ways to drive earnings. That includes looking at the cost structure to make sure we’re doing everything we can to improve shareholder value. “Third, as a leader, I need to set a good example. I make an effort to attend events before and after hours on behalf of the bank. “Finally, it is my responsibility to advocate for community bankers and the services they provide. Our bank acts as an advocate, not only by lending money within the community, but by stepping up to help those organizations that couldn’t make it without our financial support.” What drew you to banking as a career? “After graduating from college, my choices were to work either in the tobacco warehouse business or sell fire alarms. I didn’t want to do either. “During college, I worked summers in a tobacco warehouse, working in the lumberyard to prepare the warehouses. Eastern Kentucky University is located in Richmond, Kentucky – tobacco country. I enjoyed the work, but I was getting married and wanted to find something more stable. “My first real interview was with a company that sold fire alarms, which back then were actual big bells. The job was to carry around a briefcase with four alarm choices inside, sell the alarms, then install them in commercial buildings. I didn’t want that for a long-term career, either. “I was fortunate that my stepfather introduced me to a friend with business connections in Louisville, Kentucky. Through that connection, I met with the personnel officer at Louisville Trust Bank and was hired into the management training program. “Though I hadn’t set my sights set on banking, it worked out fine.” How did your career develop? “After working in the management training program at Louisville Trust Bank for nine months, I moved to the branch manager position. By then I had been a teller and assistant manager. “My boss was a wonderful mentor named Wally Bateman. He was a great leader and taught me not only how to be a good banker, but a good person to work with. “Wally was very supportive. If I made a mistake, Wally was there to say, ‘Let’s learn from this experience. The senior management team of First Harrison Bank are (left to right): Bill Harrod, president, CEO and director; Dennis Thomas, SVP-credit officer; Jill Keinsley, SVPhuman resources director; and Chris Frederick, EVP and chief financial officer.
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