It’s an ever-changing landscape when it comes to keeping up with the regulatory pendulum. You might start here, something changes, and you end up way over there. And three months later, well, we’re told we’re not going to do that anymore. By then, you’ve gone way past where you used to be. The key thing in dealing with regulations is communication. Keep in contact with the regulators and your legislators. Make sure that your voice is being heard when they’re talking about implementing new laws or getting rid of old regulations. Bankers must be aware of what is happening and keep their voices heard in the statehouse. Right now, in Missouri, banks are in great shape. Asset quality is probably as strong as I can ever recall in my career. But as a regulator, I still wonder, what am I missing? What don’t I know? That is always a concern and a challenge. What has your journey to being an examiner looked like? Have you always wanted to work in this field? My dad — I call him “Pop” — was a banker in Illinois for 45-plus years. He started in a one-room bank in a town of about 100 people. He was also a row crop farmer and raised all kinds of livestock: cattle, sheep, hogs and even a few goats. Having helped Pop with both, I knew that the outside is hot and cold at various times of the year, and the inside job is pretty well moderated. I developed an early interest in banking and finance. Mom and Pop would count the offerings on Sunday afternoons after church. Watching them do this taught me a lot about finance and confidentiality — seeing people’s names on offering checks was something you weren’t allowed to talk about. Then, in 1981, Pop built a new bank and got all new equipment. All the old bank equipment ended up coming home with him. This included an early model manual Burroughs adding machine from the 1920s; once you’d punch in the numbers, you had to crank the handle to print the tape. I spent hours playing with that machine, but only after my chores and homework were done. What is your greatest career accomplishment? There is no better feeling than when bankers acknowledge and offer appreciation for the suggestions that you give them on how to improve their institutions. I’ve long said 2+2=4, but there might be 200 ways to get there. Understanding that there are different ways to do things right is essential to being a regulator because not everybody’s going to have the same opinion or the same process. One of the toughest parts of this job has always been figuring out the basics when you walk into a bank — things like where the bathroom is and how to run the copy machine. Once you figure out those simple things, you can get around to the rest. It all comes down to understanding that people and their processes are different, their inclinations and their direction aren’t always going to be the same. Many people still don’t believe in that premise; they think there’s only one way to do things, and it’s black and white. Those are people with whom I have long conversations in hopes of changing minds. What is one valuable insight you’ve gained in your career? I’ve worked for three different state banking departments. I started in Illinois right out of college, then moved to Colorado and finally to Missouri almost 24 years ago. I greatly appreciate the relationships I have developed in all those states and working environments. I have great contacts in those states to this day, and I still reach out to them. One of the things that struck me about moving from Illinois to Colorado was that we dig ditches to get water out of fields in Illinois. In Colorado, we dig ditches to get water into the field. Both of these actions end up with a field full of crops. It’s interesting that just moving 1,000 miles east or west can change things so drastically. This premise of having different processes to get great results holds true in fields and in the banking arena. Please tell us a bit about your family. Family and faith are a big part of who I am. Mom and Pop just celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary. As a matter of fact, both sets of my grandparents were married for over 65 years, and Mom and Dad are on that path. My wife and I have been married for almost 28 years. She’s a doctor of audiology for the VA here in Missouri. We have two daughters. The oldest just graduated from Missouri State. She married a fine young man this past November in the middle of her last semester. She is working for Convoy of Hope. Our younger daughter will be a senior at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She is double majoring in space physics and astronomy and astrophysics. The math she does is not 2+2; there are very few numbers, mostly letters, symbols and hieroglyphics. Both of my girls got their mom’s intelligence and my sharp tongue. I’m thankful for the former and working on the latter. When you’re not working, how do you spend your time? I enjoy fishing even though I don’t get to do a whole lot of it anymore. We live in a rural area here in Missouri, and for years our family has run a small berry farm. We hand-planted, weeded and picked strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. Now that my kids are out of the house and not around as much, we’re putting that season to rest and looking forward to doing a little more traveling. I recently restored the first car I bought when I was just 13, a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS. My wife and I are looking forward to driving it around the highways and byways of America. Is there anything you’d like to share with independent bankers in Missouri? Pop gave me great advice when I took my first job in Illinois. He said, “You know, a banker doesn’t dream his son will be a bank examiner.” He went on to say, “Always leave a bank better than you found it; it will make your job easier the next time you examine it.” I’ve tried very hard to live by that piece of advice and tried to share it with my co-workers. Pop’s second piece of advice was, “Always communicate. Even if you might end up disagreeing, keep the dialogue going.” After I’d been on the job for a few years, Pop once asked me, “Have you found out the difference between a problem borrower and a borrower with problems?” I told Pop I hadn’t thought about it. He explained, “The difference is that problem borrowers are extra work because they quit communicating. If you’ve got a borrower with problems who is talking to you, you’ll get it worked out.” That same principle applies to bankers and regulators. I want the Missouri bankers who are reading this article to know: I will reply to your emails. I will pick up the phone and talk to you. Our partnership is invaluable to keeping the industry strong. The Show-Me Banker Magazine | 19
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