geologist mentoring me was close to retiring, and I had only been there two weeks when he died of a massive heart attack.” The boss came to Chuck and said, “Here you go, it’s all yours.” Chuck went to work and was with the company for almost two years. He worked in the mining industry for a number of years in Wisconsin and Minnesota as well. “My father would like to have seen me go into banking, but he was happy with what I accomplished in the mining industry in a short period of time,” Chuck recalled. Working in the mining industry paid well, but the amount of time spent on the road, living in hotels and eating fast food took a toll. Once Chuck met his wife, Michele, and they had their first child, Chuck knew that things needed to change. At that point, Chuck called his father and said, “What do you think about me coming back to Lewistown and trying the banking business?” There was a big, long pause, and Chuck thought, “I guess he doesn’t want me to come back to the banking business.” Finally, his father responded, “I can’t believe that you really want to come back and give it a try.” His father welcomed him back in 1998. Chuck and his growing family moved back to the area and got involved with the family bank. The similarities between being a geologist and a banker have helped Chuck: “As a geologist, I dealt with a lot of government and state regulations just as I do now as a banker. Additionally, as a geologist, I acted as a representative for my company between landowners and the company while drawing up lease agreements — there was a large amount of customer interaction, and the customer interaction is what I enjoy as part of being a banker.” He continued, “When talking with local farmers, business owners and individuals, I try to better understand their operation or business and I try to think of ways to improve efficiency. This helps improve income for those businesses and the lifestyles of those individuals affected by those operations.” As President and CEO, Chuck oversees all bank employees and, through his interactions with them, helps facilitate growth in their capabilities and development in their careers. Giving back to the community is very important to Chuck — from individuals battling health problems and raising money for them to supporting the Relay for Life and food drive competitions between employees. He also The Show-Me Banker Magazine | 17
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