8 NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2017 BOARD REVIEW Michael C. Rechin Northeast Region Director Indiana Bankers Association President and CEO First Merchants Corporation, Muncie Next year, First Merchants Corporation celebrates 125 years of community banking service, and it’s a point of pride for our company to have been an integral part of the community for so long. First Merchants, along with Ball Corporation, Ball Memorial Hospital and Ball State University, also helped build Muncie and surrounding areas, serving as the bedrock of the greater Delaware County community. This year, 2017, the Indiana Bankers Association marked its 120th anniversary. As a recent addition to the IBA board of directors, I am honored to be part of two longstanding organizations. It’s a wonderful opportunity to become more closely connected with the Indiana banking community. When I joined First Merchants over 11 years ago, I saw very quickly that people, like the late Mike Cox, our former president/CEO, got great value from the IBA, as did First Merchants as an institution. Mike made it a priority to be involved. This year that lesson was reinforced when iAB was joining with First Merchants. I saw firsthand that Mike Marhenke, iAB’s president and CEO, felt as strongly about the Association as did Mike Cox. So when Amber Van Til asked me if I could see a way to add value by way of being on the board, I jumped at the chance to serve this organization that serves the banks of Indiana.* Banking has always been a comfortable fit for me. I began my career in sales after graduating from Miami University of Ohio. My major was in English, and I wanted to add to my training, so I went back to Miami University at night to take business and finance classes. I liked the classwork and, with encouragement from my wife Debbie, completed my MBA. It was the right thing to do, because it led to my career in banking, which I fell in love with from the start. Now, 35 years later, I’m still doing it and still loving it. What I enjoy most about banking is that it’s fast. When you rise to the kind of broad position that I’ve been fortunate enough to get to, everything moves quickly. It’s fast-changing, and I enjoy the challenge. I also appreciate that banking plays a critical role in the formation of our economy. One of the first things I felt, early in my career, is that banking plays such an important role in the drive of any economy. Through the years, it’s all become even more fast-paced. There’s considerable pressure, because the technology changes quickly, and the client aspect keeps changing. Customers want more and more delivery channels, so we need to adapt and constantly be open to change. The changes go beyond clients to employees, too. Young professionals want their career paths to be clear to them very early, which also puts pressure on banks as employers. I welcome the pressure, though. One thing I like to do is lead by example. That means willingness to be involved in any aspect of the business where I can help. At this point in my career, as president/CEO of First Merchants Corporation, much of what I do is eliminate obstacles, so that our people can be successful. Though our company has grown substantially, we’ve remained nimble and easy to navigate. So I can see when there are blocks holding people up from being great at their jobs, or from being great at serving their clients. It’s my job to get into the mix, identify what needs to change, and then make it happen. Making decisions with ethics and integrity is a big part of the leadership of any organization. It’s natural for people to look for their leaders to make ethical decisions. It’s important to lead by example, and be willing to get in and get the work done. My advice to anyone new to this profession is to think about what banking means. It’s a noble profession. It adds value. It’s one of the critical elements that helped drive our economy back into gear following the financial crisis of 2008. Banking continues to drive the gears of our economy – at the local, state and national levels. The industry does so much good. We, as bankers, help consumers and businesses, and I’d encourage young bankers to feel pride in that. Young people have always had lofty aspirations, and banking can fulfill them. A handful of years ago, coming out of the recession, banking seemed to be a bit out of favor. Now I find that, even with more choices available, there are a lot of young people who see banking as a great place to get a broad, pragmatic education. It’s parallel to what the IBA does. The IBA does great things in the training function, helping people advance their skills. I’m fortunate to be part of both First Merchants and the IBA. It’s leadership at two levels – the banks of Indiana help lead and strengthen their communities, and the IBA helps banks succeed. We work together to help brighten the future of each of our cities, towns and counties. HB Branch Management Series Congratulations to Larissa Phelps of The Friendship State Bank, who completed the Indiana Bankers Association Branch Management Series in August. * Michael C. Rechin was appointed to the IBA board following the July merger of iAB Financial Bank into First Merchants Corporation, filling a position previously held by Michael C. Marhenke.
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