8 Hoosier Banker May 2015 Dear Fellow Bankers: Thank you for electing me to serve on the Indiana Bankers Association board of directors. Since Jan. 1, it has been my honor to serve as IBA’s first “non-Indiana headquartered bank director,” a seat created to represent IBA-member banks that are domiciled out-of-state. My bank title is regional president/ Indiana of BMO Harris Bank, Indianapolis, headquartered in Chicago. My direct responsibilities are for business banking in the Midwest region — defined as Indiana, Missouri and Kansas — dealing with companies’ credit needs in the range of $1 million to $15 million. Additionally I have resident responsibilities for coordinating all of our in-state lines, including retail, corporate banking, private client group, real estate, etc., so that we can achieve our regional goals. I became a banker 35 years ago, starting in Texas. I had just finished my degree in business administration at Indiana University in 1980, at a time when interest rates were very high … meaning few job prospects in the Midwest. At the same time, Texas was enjoying a strong economy, due to high oil prices. So I searched out west and landed a position with Texas Commerce Bank in Houston. It was a good opportunity and a wonderful learning experience, but I knew I wanted to come back to my home state of Indiana. I stayed in Texas for a couple of years, then joined Merchants National Bank in Indianapolis, thanks to guidance from Don Tanselle, then president of the bank. At Merchants, after some training in management and commercial lending, I gained experience in commercial real estate, private banking and corporate banking. Later I worked with the bank’s group of affiliate banks outside of Marion County. I remained with Merchants for 18 years. Next I joined Irwin Union Bank, where I ran the Indianapolis market for five years. At that point I joined First Indiana Bank as chief lending officer. First Indiana later merged into M&I Bank, which later was sold to BMO Harris Bank, and here I am today. Along the way, I gained some additional education through Butler University, where I completed an MBA, and the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking. Banking as a career felt like a natural choice to me. My father, Jim Massey, had been in banking for decades, and he also was with Merchants National Bank. My father retired from banking when Merchants was acquired by National City Bank; he was serving as chief executive officer at the time. What I enjoy most about banking is building relationships with customers and helping them along a bit with their success. Recently some colleagues and I called on a business customer that has grown its sales revenues from $8 million in 2008, at the worst part of the economic downturn, to $30 million today. It felt good to talk about profitability and the number of jobs this company has added to Indiana. Another customer-connection example is a first-time homebuyer who called me not long ago. She had been saving for five years for a house, was getting ready to close, but then felt nervous. She called to ask if her 3.625 percent, 30-year fixed rate was good. I talked her through the details, and she became much more confident. It felt good to help. Of course, a main rule in banking is to give back to the community through service. I believe in what Winston Churchill said: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Community outreach is not only the right thing to do, but it helps our industry. Banks are only as vibrant as the communities they serve. Some of the organizations I am active with are the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership, LYNX Capital Corp. and Downtown Indy. I have also served on the board of Child Advocates, which works with CASA (court-appointed special advocates). My wife Helene volunteers as a child advocate and is very dedicated. Another form of outreach is serving as a member of the IBA board of directors. When Joe DeHaven asked me last year to consider joining the board to represent larger banks, I accepted, because I have a lot of respect for Joe and the IBA. That respect has grown since joining the board; I hadn’t realized before how impactful the IBA is to all the banks statewide, especially compared to other associations around the country. IBA has a significant impact on our banking community. My home life is as pleasant as my work life. Helene and I have been married for 33 years. We have two grown sons, both working as consultants, one in Atlanta and one in Washington, DC. We raised our family in Carmel, where I grew up and both of my parents grew up. Helene, in addition to volunteer work, runs a bridal shop with a partner in Indianapolis. She says the nice thing about her work is that everybody is happy. That makes her happy, too. In my time away from banking, I enjoy relaxing through golf. I have a regular group of friends I golf with, and we play in all kinds of weather. If it’s cold out, we dress warm and walk fast. Aside from home and golf, work is a pleasure, too. I feel privileged to hear how people’s businesses are going, and what business owners are passionate about, especially when they have built their own businesses. I’m happy to be some small part of their work success, and very glad to be serving on the IBA board. FEATURE Board Review Tim Massey, IBA Non-Indiana Headquartered Bank Director BMO Harris Bank, Indianapolis
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