9 Hoosier Banker May 2016 Converse called the Mark Tully Exchange Bank. Mr. Tully was a trapper and trader, and a clockmaker, too. In our lobby is a grandfather clock that he built. “The bank became known as the Farmers State Bank in 1907, then went through other name changes as it made acquisitions. In 1995 we became First Farmers Bank and Trust Company, to reflect the diversity of our operations. “Our Amboy branch serves as an unofficial museum of bank memorabilia. We acquired that location in 1975, when we merged with the State Bank of Amboy. The bank had been founded in 1919, and the building housed artifacts from the 1920s and ’30s. “People in town also have brought in their own pictures and artifacts. There are a lot of ‘great-grandpa was on the board’ type of items. I’m a history buff, so I enjoy those connections.” What is your banking background? “I have 37 years of banking experience, all with this bank. I started as a branch manager, back in the days when we had a proof machine in the branch. We did our proof operation every day at the branch, then brought it to the main office. “Later I served as a commercial loan officer. We were sized at $45 million at that time, and we all wore lots of hats. I did a little bit of marketing and human resources on the operations side, while at the same time doing loans, like most small community bankers did back then. “There are a few jobs I’ve not done in the bank through the years, but I’ve had at least a little experience with most. Doing just about every job was a great foundation for learning.” What was your experience growing up? “I grew up on a corn, soybean and livestock farm in southern Miami County. My family also ran a small grain elevator in Bunker Hill. Not everybody gets to work with their father or grandfather every day. There are a lot of rewards with that. “Farm life is different. Most of us who were raised on a farm can remember operating a tractor or pickup truck when we were 10 or 12 years old. Your dad would put you out on a field, where you couldn’t do much harm, and let you work. “I have an older brother who continued the family farming operation. For me, though, it made sense to go into banking. A former president of the bank was a customer of our grain elevator, and he had an opening at the branch. It worked out. “One of my sisters and I still own the family farm, and my twin sister actually lives in the home that our grandfather homesteaded in the early 1900s. It makes you feel grounded to know that your roots go back to grandpa’s ground.” What do you most enjoy about banking? “It is rewarding to look back over years and decades and see families who have worked with us for four or five generations. And it’s rewarding to see how they pass along their farms or companies, and their way of life. “We’ve also got several employees whose parents and preceding generations worked for the bank. Many of our employees have been here a long time. “Recently I attended a retirement celebration in Peru for a lady who retired after 41½ years. She started at Union State Bank in Windfall, which is an organization we bought in 1990, so she’s worked continuously from that institution for 41 years.” Please share a bit about home life. “My wife Cheryl and I have been married for 30 years. She works at the bank as a consultant, providing IT support. Previously Cheryl worked for EDS ‒ Electronic Data Systems ‒ at Delphi for 10 years, but later moved into IT consulting. “Cheryl and I have three children. Our son is married and lives in Saybrook, Illinois, working for Beck’s Hybrids. He’s got farm blood Gene Miles is pictured with Debbie Key, receptionist and administrative assistant of First Farmers Bank and Trust Company, Converse. A framed check dating from 1892 is on display in the office of Gene Miles.The check was issued by the Mark Tully Exchange Bank, the originator bank of First Farmers Bank and Trust Company, Converse. Continued on page 10.
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