James E. Brown EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Welcome to the post-annual MIB convention edition of our magazine. Many of the attendees said the 2022 convention was the best yet. The Whitefish Lake Lodge was a great and beautiful venue for the annual conference, and attendance almost reached an all-time high. Inside, you will find photos from the convention, including photos from the whitewater rafting and golfing events. Of course, it was not all play at our state convention – it also consisted, as it always does, of quality education programs and speakers, as well as information on the operation of the Montana Independent Bankers Association. We were particularly honored to have ICBA Chair Brad Bolton join us this year. He provided a great presentation on the continued importance of community banking to local economic growth and prosperity. Brad is a wonderful voice for Montana’s – and this nation’s – community banking system, and his message that MIB members’ voices matter to your customers and communities is timeless. In addition, Banking Commissioner Melanie Hall briefed attendees on, among other topics, the Banking Division’s agenda for the 2023 Montana legislative session. And Steve Beck coached us on how we can have a great day every day. Moreover, Ben Hayden provided an active shooter seminar, while Jeff Thompson spoke to the need for community banks to be aware of the growing diversity, equity and inclusion movement. And, of course, the annual convention always marks the changeover of MIB’s officers and board members. Tim Schreiber was elected to serve as MIB’s President for the coming two-year period, taking over from Andrew West. And regarding Andrew, he may have had the most difficult presidency in the history of the MIB, given all the business and financialrelated challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Excellent leadership, Andrew! He will continue on the Board as the Association’s Immediate Past President. Within the pages of this magazine, you will find a listing of the “new” slate of MIB officers and directors. To this end, I want to take a few words to thank all those who have faithfully served the Association over the last year as a member of the Board of Directors. I also want to thank those who have stepped up to serve for the 2022-2023 period. Your efforts in making the Association better are recognized and appreciated. Even though the 2022 MIB Convention is now behind us, we will soon have another opportunity to get together again. The Association will hold its annual University of Montana football tailgate party in Missoula on Sept. 10, 2022. So, join us for good food, good times and another Griz victory. Additionally, the Association is hosting the 2022 FDIC Community Banker’s Workshop at the Springhill Suites in Bozeman on Oct. 6, starting at 8:00 a.m. The 2022 Bankers Workshop is an interactive one-day workshop providing ongoing education to bank executives and mid-level officers on economic and regulatory topics. Finally, later this year, the Association will conduct a Women in Banking Conference over two days, November 16 and 17, in Bozeman. This informative event will bring together the Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobson, the Commissioner of Banking Melanie Hall, SBA lender relations specialist Rena Carlson, and others to network and discuss issues of importance to those working in the industry. MIB will also be traveling to Hawaii next March to attend the ICBA Convention and Expo. The scheduled dates for ICBA LIVE are March 12 through 16, 2023, and the venue is the Hilton Hawaiian Village of Honolulu. Registration is now open for ICBA Live 2023; you can register online at www.icba.org/ events/icba-live. And, of course, the Association will be hosting its annual Montana reception at that event. So, if you will be in Hawaii, please join your Montana colleagues for an evening of fine spirits and conversation. Speaking of conventions, the 2023 MIB annual state convention will be held at the Big Sky resort from July 27 through 29, 2023. I encourage you to mark those dates in your calendars now, and all of us at MIB hope to see you next year for another great state convention. As you can see, this is a busy time for the Association. But a rolling stone gathers no moss. We at the Association are ever moving forward and advancing the Montana community banking industry’s – and your – best interests in numerous ways. Terri, Marie and I look forward to seeing you in the coming weeks and months. 4 The Community Banker mibonline.org
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