8 JULY / AUGUST 2017 BOARD REVIEW As bankers, we’re the glue of our communities, striving to do what’s right for our communities, which are the reason we exist. I am fortunate to serve as president and CEO of Bank of Geneva – a small community bank operating in a small market. Like other small-town banks, we are ever cognizant of our image as the face of our community. Personally, I feel that responsibility at a very deep level, because I am a fifth-generation banker, serving the descendants of the customers served by my great-great-grandfather. History runs deep in my life. My wife Rhonda and I live in the house my great-grandfather built, where both my grandfather and father were raised. Today it’s a banking museum of sorts, with antique adding machines, typewriters, rubber stamps, bank light fixtures, and assorted odds and ends. I even have our original FDIC certificate and incorporation papers. My family and I never threw anything away. History is part of my community outreach, too. I serve on the boards of the Indiana State Museum and Limberlost State Historic Site, in addition to service with the Northeast Indiana Regional Development Authority, Adams County Economic Development and Adams Public Library System. Though I grew up in a banking tradition, while studying biology at Ball State University, I considered teaching as a career. This was while the Vietnam War was winding down, though, with a lot of people enrolled in college to stay out of the draft, and the teaching market was tight. I was continually working at the bank in the summer and during vacations, and finally a light bulb came on. I enjoyed the work and saw that banking was my future. It definitely was familiar to me. Growing up, my dad worked at the bank, and my mother was a schoolteacher, so I spent a lot of time with my grandmother, who would babysit. Anytime help was needed at the bank, she’d be called in, and I’d go along to help. Even when I was about four years old, I’d help with errands, or count and roll pennies. On weekends, my brothers and I would stay at my grandparents, then on Saturday morning my grandfather would make pancakes, and afterward we’d all go to the bank to work. It was a family business, working each Saturday alongside my grandfather, my dad, my brothers and sometimes my grandmother. I was lucky growing up. My parents would take us on a big trip every year. We didn’t go to amusement parks; we went to museums. We’d go to Washington, DC, or Williamsburg, Virginia. In 1964 we went to the World’s Fair in New York City. My mother would dress my brothers and me alike, with matching pants, knee-high socks and shellacked hair. I’m also lucky, because we have longtime family friends in France. My father had been stationed in the south of France during World War II, and he became close with a family there. He didn’t drink or smoke, so he gave his PX allotments to the family to sell on the market, which was a tremendous financial help to them. That friendship continued when he returned to the States, and over the decades various generations of both families have traveled back and forth to visit each other. Rhonda and I recently hosted the 19-year-old grandson of one of my father’s friends as an exchange student. Pierre was the fifth family member to come stay an extended time with us in Geneva. My interest in world affairs and travel ties in with my interest in government affairs. I’m a strong believer that we have responsibilities to engage in the political process. I enjoy meeting our legislators to dialogue with them. In the end, they’re just people, and they like to hear from their constituents. Banking is a wonderful business, especially in Geneva. We have almost no delinquency at our bank, yet we’re at a 130 percent loans-to-deposit ratio, one of the highest in the state. We know our customers, and we manage our risk. I often say that business is people. Both the staff and the customers of Bank of Geneva are really good people, and I’m blessed to work with them. HB Andrew J. Briggs Second Vice Chair Indiana Bankers Association President and CEO Bank of Geneva F C I Floodplain Consultants Inc. "We visit the site!" www.floodplain.com TM PREFERRED SERVICE PROVIDER OF THE IBA. 6HUYLQJ ,QGLDQD OHQGHUV VLQFH HOW IS YOUR FLOOD ZONE DETERMINATION PROVIDER HANDLING BORDERLINE CASES? Flood Zone Determinations LOMA/LOMR Assistance Flood Insurance Guidance Interfacing with: Encompass 360, Calyx Point, Byte Pro & Fis-Serv We take pride in our industry leading accuracy and customer service. Find our what a true “community bank” minded company we are. Craig Callahan 800-945-0246 ccallahan@floodplain.com
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