young people on their individual journeys of academic success. After lunch, and after enjoying the crowd-favorite s’mores ice cream sandwiches, campers dove into two rounds of professional learning sessions. Thank you to our expert presenters for helping attendees earn new merit badges in banking excellence: • Inflation, the Fed, and Balance Sheet Management — Michael Benedict, Stifel • Turning Your Traditional Commercial Lenders Into Fierce Deposit Hunters — Matt Regn and Ted Rosen, Expert Business Development • Disruption: Navigating Today as a Community Bank CEO — Connie West, The James Paul Group • Compliance Hot Topics — John Podvin and Jenny Small, Otteson Shapiro • Financial and Other Banking Trend Perspectives — Ryan Abdoo, John Byczkowski, Cooper Dayton, and Andrea Pech, Plante Moran • Bots, Brains & Banks: Using AI in Banking While Managing Risk — Chris Tuzeneu, Bankers’ Bank of the West • Engagement is Falling: Rebuilding Culture in Community Banks — Connie West, The James Paul Group • Preparing for All Weather Growth — John Curlin, Performance Trust Capital Partners Thursday evening brought a full dose of camp spirit: camp-themed cocktails, lively conversations, dinner and a couple of friendly rounds of Family Feud. The night wrapped up with Rich Bratten (Bank Compensation Consulting) and Friends leading a lively campfire sing-along that kept the campers entertained well into the evening. A huge thank you to the generous donors, enthusiastic bidders and dedicated volunteers who helped make this year’s ICBC High School Scholarship auction a standout success. On Friday, campers gathered for two final sessions: “An Economic Outlook” with Nicholas Sly of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, and “Stablecoin and Digital Assets: Where Do We Go from Here?” presented by Amy Ledig of ICBA. Both provided the kind of big-picture guidance that helps community banks chart their course with confidence. Even as we packed up our gear and headed home from Camp ICBC, we were already marking our calendar for next year’s adventure. Join us Sept. 16-18, 2026, when we return to The Hythe in Vail for ICBC’s 53rd Annual Convention. INDEPENDENT REPORT | 11
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