Noah Wilcox: Fighting for our communities Jul 01st 2020 12:07am on Columns, From the Chairman, Industry Insight Noah Wilcox: Fighting for our communities Jul 01st 2020 12:07am on Columns, From the Chairman, Industry Insight “We’ve been in the trenches fighting for our communities, and we’ve emerged triumphant.” We shut our lobbies in late March due to COVID-19. In our community bank’s history, the only other time we have closed was during the Great Depression, yet we were the first in Minnesota to voluntarily lock up because of the pandemic. Making […]
Noah Wilcox: Our decisions go beyond dollars Jun 01st 2020 12:06am on Columns, From the Chairman, Industry Insight “Our decisions go far beyond dollars and cents and extend to finding ways to contribute to the greater good.” My senior year in college, I took a business law class that doled out a daunting assignment: Put a stake in the ground and say where you’re going to be at age 35 and how you’re going […]
Noah Wilcox: Community banks are essential May 01st 2020 08:05am on Columns, From the Chairman, Industry Insight “[The top-performing community banks] advanced with hard work and dedication to their communities.” I’ve shared this story before, but in today’s environment, it bears repeating. When I left for college, I was pretty sure of two things: One, I wasn’t going into the family business. And two, I wasn’t going to become a banker. But, […]
Noah Wilcox: This industry is in my blood Apr 01st 2020 12:04am on Columns, From the Chairman, Industry Insight “As a fourth-generation community banker, this industry is in my blood. It’s not just what I do; it’s part of who I am.” It couldn’t be more fitting that I’m penning my first column as chairman during Community Banking Month. As a fourth-generation community banker, this industry is in my blood. It’s not just what […]
Preston Kennedy: We won’t stay on the sidelines Mar 01st 2020 12:03am on Columns, From the Chairman, Industry Insight “ICBA is loud, proud and unwilling to stay on the sidelines.” It is hard to believe that nearly a year has passed since I addressed ICBA LIVE 2019 in Nashville, Tenn., as the incoming chairman. What an honor it has been to serve as chairman of the only national association dedicated exclusively to representing the interests […]
Preston Kennedy: We’re not OK with just being OK Feb 01st 2020 12:02am on Columns, From the Chairman, Industry Insight “As community bankers, our bars are set high. We’re not OK with just being OK.” A television commercial debuted late last year in which a patient in a hospital bed asks a nurse about his doctor’s credentials. With a shrug of her shoulders, she responds, “He’s OK.” The look of horror on the patient’s face […]
Preston Kennedy: Take up the call of advocacy Jan 01st 2020 12:01am on Columns, From the Chairman, Industry Insight “Working together, we will ensure the vitality of community banks far into the future.” Every January, I cast an eye toward what’s heading our way in the coming months. And, as I look at this year, I can sum it up in one word: growth. Community banking opportunities will grow in 2020, and we, as […]
Preston Kennedy: ‘Tis the season of giving Dec 02nd 2019 12:12am on Columns, From the Chairman, Industry Insight “’Tis the season of giving, and no institution exemplifies that holiday spirit more than a community bank.” ’Tis the season of giving, and no institution exemplifies that holiday spirit more than a community bank. For example, for more than a decade, my bank has hosted a Veterans Day flag-raising ceremony. We started it to draw […]
Preston Kennedy: We need to innovate, even when we’re unsure Nov 01st 2019 12:11am on Columns, From the Chairman, Industry Insight “We are creating a new world, one in which financial technology grows to meet and exceed customer expectations.” This summer, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing. Half a century ago, we blasted into space and landed on the moon—powered by calculations completed on chalkboards and measured with slide rulers! Back then, technology hadn’t […]
Preston Kennedy: Our regulatory successes Oct 01st 2019 12:10am on Columns, From the Chairman, Industry Insight “I look forward to the compliance and regulatory achievements to come.” Back in the 1980s in my home state of Louisiana, we were faced with a lending crisis that coincided with an oil bust, real estate declines and bank closings. Regulators took a hardline approach back then, which led to very contentious relationships. But that […]
