7 Hoosier Banker February 2016 ASSOCIATION UPDATE Nothing motivates me like being told I can’t do something. When I played football in high school, I was told that I would never make college football. That made me work harder, and later I was able to join the football team of Austin Peay State University as a walk-on player. Hearing “you can’t” just feeds my competitive spirit. One place I’ve heard plenty of encouragement, though, is here at The First National Bank of Odon. What is unique about my career is that I started out at the bank as a part-time janitor during high school. After high school and during some college breaks, I also continued to work here as a bookkeeper and teller. When I was studying accounting at Austin Peay, I didn’t know exactly what my plans were, but I knew I wanted to be in business. It was a very good opportunity, then, when I graduated in 1994 and the bank asked me to come back to take on a vice president role. I was working in commercial lending, agricultural lending and collections – basically a jack of many trades. It was a busy job, dealing with lines of credit on the commercial side, real estate loans and some smaller agricultural loans. There also were the collection accounts, plus some car and truck loans, and personal loans. All of this experience, on top the part-time work I had done as a student, gave me exposure to the full gamut of what our bank does. Then in 2006, when our president was getting ready to retire, I put in my name for consideration. At that point I had finished my first year of the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin, but I knew I needed more education and training. I told the board, “If you give me this opportunity, and help me to learn, I promise I’ll do the best job I can do.” They took a chance on me, and here I am. Today I can’t imagine being anywhere else. There’s no better place to live, work and raise a family than Daviess County. This area of the state has rich agriculture and healthy industry, but all with small-town values. Community involvement is important for both the bank and me. My past community outreach includes the Association of Military Banks of America Board, the West Gate @ Crane Technology Park Authority Board, the Overton Moore Scholarship Board and the Walnut Hill Cemetery. Currently I am active with the Title Center of Indiana. Recently I stepped down from volunteer coaching in football and track at North Daviess High School. It was a big time commitment, and I appreciate that the bank afforded me the time. I’ve met a lot of good people through coaching, and I enjoyed seeing young people succeed on and off the field. My latest commitment is to the Indiana Bankers Association board of directors. I feel it’s important to be involved with the Association, because the IBA does so much for Indiana banks, both at the state level and nationally. Without the IBA, banks in our state – especially small institutions – would not have a voice. The First National Bank of Odon has been in operation for 125 years, and our strength is in our relationship-building. We were the first banking institution to go onto the Crane Naval Base, because we were asked to be available to cash checks for soldiers. We later developed relationships with Naval Academy graduates, and we now have customers throughout all 50 states, even one in Madagascar. Our employees are here for the long haul. Most are local, several have been with us for decades, and they all take a genuine interest in our customers. When people come to this bank, they don’t deal with automated processes, but instead with real people. Our bank has been practicing good customer service for years and years. At home my family keeps active. My wife Mikki studied technical writing when we were students at Austin Peay, and she now works for a contractor that services Crane Naval Base. We have been blessed with a son, Hayden, and a daughter, Hadley. Hayden is 14 and will be a high school freshman next year. He is active with basketball, track and football. Hadley, age 10, also enjoys basketball and track. She recently did dance and is now into softball. In the last couple of years, I’ve taken on CrossFit as an ambition. CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program accomplished through varied exercises. I first got involved to get into shape, but then my competitiveness took over, and now I participate in national competitions. CrossFit has created a healthier lifestyle for my whole family, and lets my kids see an example of setting your mind to something and working toward it. Hard work and responsibilities are values that my mother instilled in me, and I try to pass those along to my children. Unfortunately my mother passed away a few years ago. I was adopted when I was three days old, and she passed away three days after my 39th birthday, so I had her in my life exactly 39 years. Those same values that my mother passed along are shared by my bank, this community and the Indiana Bankers Association. I am humbled and honored to be serving on the IBA board, and I thank you for this opportunity. Board Review Kent L. Parisien, Southwest Region Director The First National Bank of Odon
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