Pub. 12 2021 Issue 1

www.wvbankers.org 8 West Virginia Banker Alan Brill The CEO of Capon Valley Bank Retires A lan Brill, longtime CEO of Capon Valley Bank, retired in December 2020. Recently, WVBA had the opportunity to visit with Michael McDonald, colleague, heir-apparent, and friend of Alan’s to talk about Alan and his contributions to Capon Bank and the local banking industry. Where is Alan from? He grew up in Hampshire County, and has lived on the same farm where he grew up all of his life. When did Alan begin his banking career? He started here at Capon Valley Bank 47 years ago — in 1973 — working part-time as a teller, and eventually moved up to CEO. It’s an astounding career trajectory really if you think about it. I believe that it says a lot about his character and philosophy about doing what needs to be done and looking for the opportunity to learn and grow. Wherever there was a need, he stepped in and filled it. Tell us about Capon Valley Bank? The bank started in 1918 as a community bank. We joined a holding company with another bank back in 1987. We’ve grown over the years from our one main office to five branches; three in West Virginia and two in Virginia. If you could describe Alan in three words? Well, that’s tough. There’s a lot of wonderful words that come to mind when you think about Alan. But for a start, I would describe him as loyal, steadfast and intelligent. He’s a sharp guy. And determined. He was always the constant activist for community banking. He wants community banks to be successful, and he always worked in that direction. He had a strong belief that commu- nity banks keep their communities healthy and thriving. Alan was always willing to be a part of what was happening; he was never a spectator. His engagement was remarkable. After 45 years at Capon Valley Bank, what are a few things that stand out in Alan’s career? Since he partially retired, he’d often comment about how much he enjoyed his career. He enjoyed the camaraderie of the bank, from coworkers to customers. It wasn’t just a job — it was his life, which is remarkable. We have a really fun group; there’s a lot of good humor in the bank. You know, over the years, people leave for other career choices, people retire, and of course, their contributions lin- ger, but in Alan’s case, his heart and soul have been here for so long that I believe that he will leave a culture behind that we will work hard to keep. In the 45 years that Alan worked here, he has been the CEO for 20 of those years. He has guided us through some difficult years in a very steadfast way. There were some economically challenging years for community banks, but Alan kept his head down and went to work. There’s a lot to be said for that. Many others may have reconsidered their choice of careers — in fact, many did. But Alan never wavered, and as a leader, that was key. He was steady, so we were steady.