11 Hoosier Banker September 2015 Continued on page 12. In 2009 you were quoted in the New York Times, saying that this bank seeks earnings growth on a ‘nice, gentle, upward slope.’ Please elaborate. “Basically I was saying shareholders don’t want earnings to be bouncing up and down. If you can plan well enough to show a nice, soft upward slope, shareholders will be happy. “It falls back to wanting to stay independent. To be independent, you’ve got to have a loyal shareholder base. Stability in earnings is a way to achieve happy shareholders. You also have to balance the needs of shareholders, customers and staff.” What do you value most in staff? “What I value most is loyalty. We’ve had very little turnover here. Our four executive officers and three senior vice presidents each average 28 years of experience. We have 24 other officers, averaging 16 years of experience each. “I also value our staff’s sense of teamwork and ability to work together. We all check our egos at the door. We’ve all done everything here, including shoveling snow. “I really appreciate that our staff will stand up for each other. If somebody has a bad event or life crisis, someone else will be standing in line, ready to pick up the slack or personally extend a helping hand. “And I love the educational level of our staff. Most officers have a college degree, or a high level of life experience, or both.” Who has been influential in your life? “No. 1 is my dad. I wouldn’t be in this chair today if not for him. He pushed me to a formal education, setting the stage for me to even be considered for this job. “From the time I was a child, it was an expectation that I was going to college ‒ no ifs, ands or buts. My dad was a welder at U.S. Steel, and the way he put it was, ‘You’re not going to crawl around in grease on your Five Star Awards from the Indiana Bankers Association are on proud display in the DeMotte State Bank main office. Shown are (left to right): Dianna Groen, teller; Don Goetz, president and CEO; and Kristi Peterson, teller. belly your whole life. You’re going to college.’ “He also influenced my parenting skills. My dad was the kind of guy who would work 16 hours a day, come home and play with us before he’d take a nap, then go back to work On display in the office of Don Goetz are various honors earned through the years, including a certificate of his board appointment to the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions.
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