Hoosier Banker 7 My year as chairman of the IBA has been nothing like what I expected. I have spent countless hours on Zoom instead of attending meetings and conferences in person. Several people have told me they are sorry my experience has been ruined by COVID-19, but I do not feel that way at all. It was not what I expected, but it has been very special. I may not have had the standard experience of being chairman, but oftentimes a unique experience ends up being better. I’m very pleased that I was able to complete visits with every Indiana-based bank, despite the pandemic. When the shutdown began, I took a three-month hiatus from traveling around the state, but I was determined to get back on the road and complete my goal. Throughout the summer months, I had a heavy travel schedule and was able to complete all of the visits by the end of September. Ultimately, I traveled 8,057 miles to visit 93 banks over 39 days. I lost track of how many cups of coffee it took! Perhaps my greatest accomplishment was completing these travels without contracting or spreading COVID-19. Before the pandemic, I enjoyed going out to lunch with bankers and trying the local restaurants. After the virus hit, I would pack my lunch and eat in my car, trying not to touch anything other than my bottle of hand sanitizer. Traveling around the state and meeting all of the bankers has been the best part of my year as chairman. Every single banker was welcoming, open and fun to talk to. I learned that, while most banks have similar products and services, almost every bank has a different business model or strategic plan. I was surprised by how diverse our banks are. One bank specializes in funeral trusts and has no customer accounts. Another uses hand-written ledger cards instead of a computer system. All of our banks, though, share common ground in being committed to their communities. I must thank Larry Myers of First Savings Bank, Jeffersonville, for giving me the idea. He visited all of the Indiana-based banks when he was chairman of the Association in 2015. He was the first in IBA history to take on this task, and I thought it was time to do it again. My first visit was to Larry at the start of October 2019, seeking his expert guidance. Larry handed me a bottle of bourbon and said he thought I would need it. He was right – the bottle had to be replaced by Thanksgiving. The visits were certainly a lot of work and took a lot of time out of the office, but they were well worth it. After meeting bankers in every corner of the state, I am more optimistic than ever about the future of the Indiana banking industry. Several Indiana banks clearly are taking succession plans seriously. I met with management teams, including the newer members, who are all sharp and will serve the industry well. Some banks plan to sell, and some plan to sell to credit unions, but those that want to stay in business are putting together successful teams. It has been a great honor to be chairman of the IBA this year. I love banking, and I love advocating for it. The opportunity to be IBA chairman will always be a career highlight for me. I sincerely appreciate the Association and all of the Indiana banks for giving me the opportunity to represent you. As I prepare to get out of the way at the end of this year, I have confidence that Mike Zahn will make a great chairman in 2021. He’s enthusiastic and passionate about banking and will represent us well. I hope Mike gets to host more in-person events than I did, but he will be successful regardless of any obstacles the world throws at him. HB CHAIRMAN’S REPORT 1st Source Bank • @1stSourceBank • Sept. 30 Last week, our team attended the groundbreaking of the new residential unit at Bashor Children’s Home. We’re so proud to support this project, which will house & provide therapeutic services for girls who have escaped abuse & trafficking. Thank you to Bashor Home for all you do! Citizens State Bank • @CSB_Indiana • Sept. 21 Join us to support @hsefoundation and @HSESchools by supporting #WeGotThis! For each $25 you donate, you’ll receive a face mask (or you can donate it to the school) and $1 will go to support the PastaBowl Food Drive. #Community STAR Bank • @STARFinancial • Aug. 30 Thank you to all our STAR volunteers who helped out with @ UWACIN’s Day of Caring! It was a beautiful day for refreshing the Crescent Avenue Weekday School’s playground. Crossroads Bank • @CrossroadsBank • Aug. 26 Our Warsaw team has volunteered all over the place this month! They teamed up with United Way of Kosciusko County & Combined Community Services. Together, they participated in the “Read United” and “Tools for Schools” programs. Way to go, Warsaw! Centier Bank • @CentierBank • Aug. 19 We at #Centier Bank pride ourselves on being at the heart of the community, and we are happy to support @ HamiltonHumane to help build a new state-of-the-art facility in #Fishers: https://tinyurl.com/y5fbeww3 #commUNITYbanking #Centier #fishersindiana #humanesociety Follow IBA Twitter @indianabankers NOTABLE QUOTES Bank Community Service on Twitter Lucas White Chairman Indiana Bankers Association President The Fountain Trust Company, Covington @LucasNWhite
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