8 MARCH / APRIL 2018 Being part of a community bank is like being part of a large family. The people we serve are like family members – we conduct daily business with them, attend church with them, and often share meals with them at chamber lunches or other venues. We know and trust each other. That family-like relationship extends to the Indiana banking community as a whole. We work side-by-side with our brother and sister bankers, making our communities better and stronger. We lend the capital that is the fuel that drives commerce, whether on Main Street or on a gravel road in the country. The Indiana Bankers Association is part of that professional family network. I have been exposed to other bank trade groups before coming to Indiana nearly 10 years ago, and I can say with certainty that the IBA does a stellar job in its mission. It has assembled a super team of professionals, with Amber Van Til succeeding her mentor, Joe DeHaven. There are many opportunities for IBA members. Legislative representation is available through several annual events: the Legislative Briefing and Reception, Future Leadership Division Day at the Statehouse, regional meetings and the IBA Annual Washington Trip. In education, the IBA offers a variety of schools, seminars and webinars, plus networking opportunities at the Mega Conference, Annual Convention and C-level roundtables. IBA also helps members by vetting the third-party service providers that we often need to handle specialized projects or services. All of these benefits are meaningful to me, and I am honored to help by serving on the IBA board of directors. Though my work schedule is full as president and CEO of Springs Valley Bank & Trust Company, my IBA service is time well spent. A little background about me: I came to Springs Valley Bank nine years ago by way of Ohio. I had attended Taylor University in Indiana, and later earned my MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University, but I’m originally from a small, centennial farm in northwest Ohio. My banking career started in 1980 with Federal Land Bank of Bryan, Ohio, as an agricultural loan officer and appraiser. That position led to service as a loan asset specialist with the consolidated Farm Credit Services of Defiance, Ohio. Later I joined Hicksville Building, Loan & Savings Bank in Hicksville, Ohio, first as a loan officer and IRA administrator, then as president and CEO, a position I held for 14 years. Four months after I joined Springs Valley Bank, my predecessor, Mike Ahern, passed away unexpectedly. I was suddenly leading a bank I was just learning about. Add to that the challenge of working in a much larger institution. HBLS Bank was less than $100 million in assets; Springs Valley Bank had more than $250 million in assets when I joined. Due to that size difference, the transition into Springs Valley Bank leadership was one of learning to better work in teams and focus on leading a group of senior managers, as opposed to doing a lot of the hands-on work myself. Succession planning also became a major lesson, since it hit home so hard in our circumstance. We all face challenges, and one that impacts the banking industry daily is how quickly it is changing. We work to get a grip on the right mix of physical and digital products and services. Nonbank fintech competitors also have our attention, as they encroach on territory that historically has been bank turf. We additionally face unfair competition from non-tax-paying credit unions and the quasigovernment-guaranteed Farm Credit System. Another challenge is building our next generation of bank leadership, both in terms of C-level officers and board members. And there is the ever-present challenge of modern life, with the digital world blurring the line between our business and personal lives. But the rewards are many. I like to think that the spirit of Jimmy Stewart’s portrayal of George Bailey in the classic film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” is still alive in community banking today. The rules of banking have changed, and we operate differently than we did a decade ago, but community bankers continue to go the extra mile. Like most of you, I am active in the community, involved with the Dubois Strong Community Development Organization, Radius Indiana and the Kiwanis Club of Jasper, to name a few. My wife Sam also helps. She has a certified therapy dog that she takes to nursing homes, hospice patients, and to our local grade school as part of a “Read to a Dog” program. Sam has a big heart and a passion for all animals. Home life is wonderful. Sam and I have five daughters between us – three in Ohio with six grandkids, and two in Jasper with four grandchildren. We like to take trips, we both read a fair amount, and we are finishing up a large renovation project at our home just outside of Jasper. My life has been a series of blessings, from my upbringing on a farm – where I learned a strong work ethic – to my life now as a husband, father, grandfather and banker. Most importantly, I was raised with a faith in God that guides my thoughts and actions. In today’s world of “anything goes,” it is a must to be grounded in a creator, a being beyond ourselves, a higher power. That abiding faith fits well with the good people I meet in the Indiana banking community. BOARD REVIEW Jamie R. Shinabarger 7SYXL[IWX 6IKMSR (MVIGXSV Indiana Bankers Association President and CEO Springs Valley Bank & Trust Company, Jasper
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