8 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2017 BOARD REVIEW When I started working for Farmers and Merchants Bank in 1985 as a teller, I never dreamed that this would be my final stop. I had never intended to be a banker. I figured I would work at the bank until something better came along. Lo and behold, 32 years later, I am still here, and I could not be happier. I was 20 years old when I hired on as a teller. We were a $19 million bank at that time. I had a great boss in my predecessor, Monty Lepper. He was patient with me and a wonderful mentor. I went from the teller line to bookkeeping to loan collections. Eventually I was eased into consumer lending. As the bank grew, so did my responsibilities. When Monty retired in 2006 and handed the reins to me, he gave me some excellent advice. He told me to not walk around “like you’re the boss.” When you (the bank) have problems – and you will have problems – look to see who the staff turns to for guidance and answers. Monty also stressed the importance of empowering people. He emphasized the importance of allowing people to make mistakes (hopefully not big ones) to grow and to learn. I would like to think that I have taken his advice to heart. As president and chief executive officer, I oversee bank and branch operations and manage the investment portfolio, among other responsibilities, but I am primarily a lender. I have been a lender for over 25 years. Our main office is in Laotto, which has a population of approximately 300 people. When people from our community come in and need a loan or someone to talk to, they expect to be able to see me. I try to always be available to them. While we strive to be profitable, and we pride ourselves on being an independent bank, it goes beyond that. The goal of the board and management has always been to take care of our employees, whose average tenure on our staff is slightly over 20 years, and our community. It is about doing what is right. It is helping people realize their dreams or helping them out of bad situations. I feel that, as a community banker, I have an obligation to support my community whenever possible. I believe that by supporting the communities we serve, those same communities will continue to support us. It has worked well for the past 103 years. Without question, what I value about what I do is the daily interaction with people, whether with my coworkers or our customers. Hand in hand with that is that I get the opportunity to really help people. The relationships that I have been able to build, both in the bank and beyond, are something I treasure. I felt honored to be asked to serve as a board member of the Indiana Bankers Association, and it was an obligation I felt I needed to fulfill. My life and career have benefited greatly because of the bank and the financial industry as a whole. I feel that it is important to be involved and to champion our community banking cause. It is much easier to sit on the sideline and let others do the work, but I felt I needed to be more involved. I would give two pieces of advice to young bankers starting their careers. First, work in as many departments within the bank as possible, even if just for a short time. The more you understand about how a bank operates, the more well-rounded a banker you will become. Second, don’t take yourself too seriously. You can get the job done, be profitable, and still have a good time doing it. My wife Laura and I have been married for 24 years, and we became empty nesters in June 2016. We have always enjoyed traveling, and now we have a little more flexibility of when and where we want to go. We also enjoy trying exotic cuisine. In my free time, I enjoy reading, playing with our goldendoodle Pepper, and I love to be outside and the outdoors in general. After being in an office for too many hours a day, I look forward to getting some fresh air. HB Jeffrey W. Gump Northeast Region Director Indiana Bankers Association President and CEO Farmers and Merchants Bank, Laotto Six members of the Indiana banking community were among the 100+ community bankers and staff of the Independent Community Bankers of America who met on May 1 with President Donald Trump as part of the ICBA Capital Summit. In an exclusive meeting with ICBA leadership bankers, Trump said his administration is focused on addressing regulatory burdens to help community banks lend to small businesses. Read more on page 42. Vice President Mike Pence also was at the meeting, along with Gary Cohn, director of the U.S. National Economic Council, and Linda McMahon, administrator of the Small Business Administration. Indiana was represented by the following bankers: • William W. Harrod, First Harrison Bank, Corydon • Michael H. Head, First Federal Savings Bank, Evansville • Mark A. Schroeder, German American, Jasper • Ryan M. Warner, Bippus State Bank, Huntington • Lucas White, The Fountain Trust Company, Covington. Indiana Bankers Meet With President Trump Shown at the White House for the 2017 ICBA Capital Summit are (from left): Mark Schroeder, German American, Jasper; Bill Harrod, First Harrison Bank, Corydon; Ryan Warner, Bippus State Bank, Huntington; and Mike Head, First Federal Savings Bank, Evansville. Not pictured is Lucas White, The Fountain Trust Company, Covington.
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