6 NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2019 Amber R. Van Til President and CEO Indiana Bankers Association avantil@indianabankers.org @grbanker VANTAGE VIEWPOINT Banking on Women Conference Nov. 20-21 Women in banking gather to unlock potential and own the future. Midwest Agricultural Banking School Dec. 2-5 Learn the latest about ag credit and finance at Purdue University. Indiana Economic Outlook Forum Dec. 6 Listen and learn about what to expect in the economic landscape for 2020. Don’t Miss Out! This is the time of year that goes by all too quickly. Once we hit the month of November, all of a sudden we’re in a rush to get everything done by year-end. Aside from the holiday flurry, an activity that keeps all of us busy is reviewing and assessing annual goals. We want to ensure we’ve met our goals and, if not, determine how to do so before the current year closes. At the Indiana Bankers Association, just as at your bank, staff have multiple goals to complete each year. In our case, goals are in support of the five pillars of our strategic plan: Tell the Story, Fiscal Strength, Education, Government Relations and Next-Gen Bankers. I’m pleased to report that we are doing well in this fourth-quarter stretch. In the area of Tell the Story, we’ve been actively telling your story, in part by showcasing exemplary bankers and their community service through IBA awards. So far this year we’ve presented Commitment to Community and Leaders in Banking Excellence awards. Later this month we’ll bestow the Woman of the Year and the Woman on the Rise awards at the Banking on Women Conference. Awards are only the tip of the iceberg, though. Notably, we’ve been tapping into technology to create and share videos highlighting bank community service and next-gen bankers. In fact there’s a recent nextgen banker video in this magazine issue on page 37 that tells the story of how banking is a worthy career for the next generation of young professionals. In the area of Fiscal Strength, our goal is not only to be strong but to stay strong. With a new fiscal policy manual serving as our guidepost, we look forward to continuing to keep our budget variance within a range of 1%. Additionally, this year we’ve enhanced our endorsed partnership program by adding a new Preferred Service Provider and a new IBA subsidiary, significantly helping to diversify our revenue stream and keep your membership dues low. Our robust Education area is working to ensure that IBA offerings adapt to meet future needs. With member banks continuing to merge, the IBA is taking a regional viewpoint, reaching out to neighboring state bankers associations to address education delivery options in a regional landscape. IBA’s Education department also is continuing to evaluate emerging leader educational needs and programming. For our fourth strategic plan pillar, Government Relations, your GR team is ensuring that all bases are covered for 2019 while simultaneously gearing up for 2020. All is well on the back end, with updated BANKPAC materials in place, increased peer-to-peer networking, and a successful Future Leadership Division Day at the Statehouse, which recorded a 27% jump in attendance. Going forward, the GR team has been reviewing issues that potentially could impact banking in readiness for the upcoming legislative session, starting in January. Also, as of this writing, the IBA Annual Washington Trip is around the corner. I always enjoy time in DC with a contingent of Indiana bankers, who consistently represent the industry by asking the right questions and delivering the right solutions. For our final strategic plan pillar, Next-Gen Bankers, much progress has been made. The students of the first class of the banking concentration at Purdue University Northwest are now wrapping up the fall semester. Our hope is that this concentration will inspire a new wave of Indiana students to consider banking as their preferred career choice. Also in Next-Gen, the former Indiana Banking Internship Program has been rebranded as the BankLEAD Internship Program. This program helps to bring top college students to IBA-member banks for summer internships, plus provides tools and resources for participating banks to help them structure internships that truly benefit both the intern and the bank. So there you have it. We’re finishing out a good year, and we look forward to serving you in the next. Please keep in mind in 2020 that we’d like to shine a spotlight on as many members as possible, so be on the lookout for information about nominating your bank/bankers for the Commitment to Community awards, 40 Year Club and Leaders in Banking Excellence opportunities. HB
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