I am blessed to work for great principal shareholders, Linda and Matt Renner and Steve Pessin. They gave me the opportunity of a lifetime. I don’t want to disappoint them. I owe themmy best efforts. I do not take it for granted!” During his interviews, Mitch told the board he wanted the bank to be a relevant shareholder investment by growing shareholder value and improving client experience. were hundreds of successful bankers at her funeral. She touched the lives of 20 people now helping to run banks. I am one!” Mitch spent six years in Columbia, Missouri, while he and his wife, Robin Rone-Baden, earned degrees at the University of Missouri at Columbia. He earned a four-year B.S. degree. Robin earned a graduate degree in elementary school counseling. They stayed in Columbia an extra couple of years so she could finish her work before they returned to St. Louis. After Mitch had finished college, and while his wife was finishing her academic work, he worked at Boone County National Bank. “I will tell anybody that the foundation for anything good in my life happened because I spent four years at Mizzou,” said Mitch. “I met my wife and bought my first house there. I also worked for Mike Stroup at Boone County National Bank. He gave me my first opportunity in management. I ran a credit department when I was 22 or 23. He sent me to other banks to learn how to put together the department. I amwhere I am because of him.” (Later, Central Bank bought Boone County National Bank.) “My mentors, Steve, Dee and Mike, helped create a very rewarding career. Because of their example, I really believe that my legacy is to help mentor and grow careers for young people the same way they did for me.” Mitch has three recommendations for anyone he mentors. “It doesn’t take a lot of talent to be early,” he said. “Our most precious resource is our time. One of our clients taught me this concept. I tell our team to be the first person in the room and the first to shake someone’s hand. Respect a person’s time!” His second recommendation is to love what you are doing. “You spend more waking hours at work than with the family you love,” he said. “Nothing is worse than going to a job you hate. If I sense a teammember is not happy, I discuss how we can make it a more fulfilling opportunity. If we can’t, then I encourage them to find a role that is satisfying! Life is too short; why work a job if you don’t love it? The third recommendation is to learn something new every day. “Know what you don’t know, and find ways to improve yourself,” said Mitch. In St. Louis, Mitch worked very briefly at Landmark Bank and, later, at Boatmen’s Bank for five years. “Mike Stroup was the first person I called to thank when I became a VP,” saidMitch. But Mitch wantedmore of a challenge, so hemoved toMercantile Bank for 13 years and South Side National Bank. When that bank sold, Mitch joined Steve at Royal. Mitch attended St. Lewis University (SLU). “I stumbled on to the Jefferson Smurfit School for Entrepreneurial Studies. I attended the program and taught several classes as well. I figured if I was going to do business with small-business owners, I needed to understand what their leaders were thinking. Small-business owners think in a totally different way. What I learned in that program has had a big impact on how we run our own company.” Mitch also graduated from the ABA National Commercial Lending School. For years Mitch was the chair of the Minority Business Council in St. Louis, Missouri. He was also honored as the Missouri Financial Services Advocate by the United States Small Business Administration. “I thought about starting a new bank after South Side was sold, but Steve suggested I join him at Royal so we could work together.” He laid our foundation and gave me the chance to grow to where we are today!” “Bankers don’t die; they just go to new banks,” said Mitch. “Almost all of our Royal management team came from larger banks. Continued on page 14 August 2022 | 13
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