7 Hoosier Banker March 2016 ASSOCIATION UPDATE As president and chief operating officer of Peoples Bank, Munster, my primary duties include strategic planning and overseeing the day-today operations of the bank. Additionally I’m responsible for engaging our stakeholders ‒ our shareholders, employees, customers and communities ‒ to ensure that we fulfill our mission of creating value for them and delivering an exceptional customer experience. How we fulfill that mission is driven by our culture, which is founded on those beliefs and behaviors that we feel are necessary for success. A big part of my role is to ensure that our culture is clearly articulated, embraced by employees at all levels, and that their decisions and actions are rooted in our core beliefs. As our bank has grown in size and footprint, the more we can fortify our culture, the more we can unify our approach to engaging stakeholders. With over 200 colleagues working in 16 banking centers, our strong sense of culture enables us to provide consistent, quality customer service throughout the organization. The vision for an independent community bank started in 1910 when the company was founded by John Bochnowski, my great-grandfather. He came to the United States from Poland as a teenager, determined to be part of the American experience. He worked hard, prospered and helped his community by founding this bank. For me as a fourth-generation banker, it is my privilege ‒ and duty ‒ to uphold his promise to the community. My father, David A. Bochnowski, also serves Peoples Bank as chairman and chief executive officer, and we additionally have a number of multigenerational families who work here in other capacities. This bank was built by the hard work of generations of people. Looking ahead, we recognize the need to continue to attract talent in order for the bank to succeed long-term. I am active with the American Bankers Association as a member of the Membership Council, and I’ve heard Rob Nichols, president and CEO of the ABA, address this issue. All across the nation, banks are facing the challenge of bringing new talent into the system. The Indiana Bankers Association also has been addressing this issue, and part of its solution is the IBA Future Leadership Division. The FLD is a group of emerging bank leaders who gather for networking, professional development, leadership training and grassroots advocacy. A key component is that the FLD gives emerging leaders a chance to form a peer group to continue into the next 20 to 30 years. It is extremely important to be developing these relationships now; preparing leaders for the future is critical to moving the industry forward. The advocacy aspect of the FLD is invaluable, because we need to make our voices heard. In the past, I worked as a policy adviser to U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky. What I learned from that experience is that legislators are just people, like anyone else, with the same needs, worries and concerns. They are approachable, and they like to hear from their constituents. Public servants share the community banker’s goal of improving the community, so they especially want to know how the policies they shape impact the work that community bankers do. Some more about my background: I went to the University of Michigan for my undergraduate degree, and I attended the ESADE business school in Barcelona, Spain, for my MBA. We live in an increasingly international world, so I wanted an overseas experience. It was while working on my MBA that I took up running as a stress reducer, and I have been running ever since. Running is good for me physically and mentally, and I have now run seven marathons. It connects me with community through fundraising for various not-for-profits. One race that was especially rewarding was to help raise funds for a cancer research organization that specializes in the type of cancer that has affected my father and other veterans of the Vietnam War. My wife Jessica is very supportive of my community volunteer work, which includes the Dunes National Park Association, the Legacy Foundation, the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities, and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. Jessica loves her dream job of working in the media industry, yet she finds time in her busy schedule for community involvement, too. All of the good in my life is possible because of the vision of my great-grandfather. When I was living abroad, I made a special trip to visit Brzyska, Poland, where he was born and raised. Brzyska is a tiny town in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, so small that it wasn’t even on the map, and being there made me feel deeply connected to my great-grandfather and his legacy. His work continues. Our customers come to us for the same reasons today as 100 years ago. They have families to raise, businesses to build and goals to reach. Our role, and the role of all community banks, is to give people access to the resources they need to live their lives and to realize their dreams. Board Review Benjamin J. Bochnowski, Northwest Region Director Peoples Bank, Munster Ben Bochnowski, Peoples Bank, Munster, shares insights in a video, “Value of the IBA Future Leadership Division.” To view, click on the red arrow in Hoosier Banker Digital at indianabankers.org. t Video Bonus
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