Category: From the Chairman

This is our moment to communicate just what it means to be a community bank.

In today’s marketplace, we can’t be afraid to experiment and fail. Let’s embrace some out-of-the-box, entrepreneurial thinking to attack our problem areas.

One of my early mentors told me, ‘It’s often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.’ That piece of advice has … allowed us to be a little more progressive as a bank.

Culture is more than just how bank staff interact with one another; it’s about how we convey who we are to our customers.

In today’s climate, our voices are vital not only to the future of financial services, but to the millions of small businesses and consumers who depend upon us.

Despite everything, we remain a thriving network of community banks, united in our common passion for and commitment to our communities.

Community banking relies on connection. And in today’s digital-first—but Zoom-fatigued—environment, it’s more important than ever that we find new ways to make those connections stick.

To succeed in this environment, we must focus on the things we can control and remain positive, and that’s become my daily mantra.

It’s time to look toward the future, and I encourage you to hold onto this bigger-picture perspective to propel our communities out of this crisis.

We’ve faced a hard year, one that will go down in the history books. But, despite the difficulties we have endured, there have been positives.