Brad Doran is Chairman and CEO of farmbank with locations in Green City, Milan and Kirksville, Missouri. The history of the bank and how it came to serve these small rural communities is an interesting story.

From 1880-1930, banking institutions in Green City followed the trend of other banks in Missouri. First, there was a bank located on the south side of the square. That bank was not open long. Other early banks were the Bank of Green City, City National Bank and the American National Bank of Green City. City National Bank was consolidated with the American National Bank. The downward economic trend that gripped the nation ultimately led to that bank closing in 1927. As the Great Depression intensified and business conditions continued to decline, the Bank of Green City closed in 1930.

For the next few years, Green City was without a bank, and the citizens had to go elsewhere to conduct their banking business. The Green City Credit Union was established in 1934 and relieved the situation to some degree, but the community was badly in need of a commercial bank. Around that time, B.L. Stutler had completed the liquidation of the closed banks in Sullivan and Putnam counties, and he and Mrs. Stutler organized the Farmers Bank of Green City (FBGC). The charter for FBGC was issued on Nov. 13, 1943, the bank opened for business on Nov. 23, 1943, and it continues to operate today.

The first board of directors of FBGC consisted of Dr. J.D. Bohrer, T.S. Hardinger, Glenn E. Kent, Henry Myers and B.L. Stutler. Later, Jane Stutler succeeded Mr. Hardinger as a director, and Dr. Bohrer was succeeded by Bernard Stutler.

On May 1, 1960, the Stutlers sold their interest in the bank to Oppenheimer Industries of Kansas City. Then in January 1977, the Oppenheimers sold the bank to Samuel T. Davis of Cameron, Missouri (Kingston & Clarksdale bank owners). In 1978, the bank was sold to Gary N. Edwards and Lloyd Edwards and then to Randy Riley. In 1989, the bank was purchased by Stan Grotenhuis, Lena Grotenhuis and Audrey Savage. In 1995, the management of the bank was taken over by Brad’s mother Lena Grotenhuis.

Brad started his banking career in the eighth grade working as a janitor at Casey State Bank. By the age of 16, he had begun working as a teller. He continued working for the bank when he was in college, learning bookkeeping and even doing loan reviews. Brad graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 1997 with a B.S. in accounting.

After graduation, he spent a few years in public accounting working at LWH CPA, LLP. Then he became an information systems auditor for ADM, and later, he advanced to an accounting supervisor role within ADM Transportation. Brad made his move back into the banking industry in 2008 when he took a position as the Vice President of IT with Hickory Point Bank. He then served as Senior Vice President over operations & IT, becoming involved with indirect lending. Being back in the banking industry was a good fit, and Brad decided that banking was where he belonged.

In 2014 Brad’s stepfather, Stan, passed away, and soon thereafter, his mother, Lena, stepped down from management of the bank. Brad decided to take on a new challenge to manage the family bank. He enjoys working in a small bank because he gets to “wear a lot of hats and never gets bored.”

Brad used his prior experience to make numerous changes that were overdue. He oversaw the implementation of a new core system in June of 2016 and mobile banking in June 2017 and continues to lead the bank forward as innovative technology becomes available that benefits customers. Brad knew the bank had to become larger to compete in today’s market, so he opened a branch in Kirksville, Missouri, in December of 2021. In 2022, Brad rebranded the bank name to “farmbank” to go along with the expansion into more communities. The bank currently has approximately $76 million in assets.

In his own words, Brad describes farmbank’s strengths: “Since we are small and locally owned, we’re able to make decisions very quickly. We cater to our customer’s needs easily because there is not a lot of red tape like larger banks have.”

Being a member of MIBA is important to Brad because of the benefits to farmbank. “It’s a great organization. They have a lot of resources that help bankers, especially when it comes to various regulatory issues or when new regulations come up. The training and insight provided is invaluable.” Brad continued, “One of the bigger benefits is the networking opportunities, meeting other bank owners and collaborating with colleagues. Every year, I look forward to the annual MIBA convention, where I get to learn about emerging issues in the banking industry and catch up with colleagues.”

When mentoring others, Brad shares lessons he has learned over the years:

• Never stop learning.
• Find what you are really passionate about and direct your career path in that direction.
• Set goals and hold yourself accountable.

When Brad is not working, he enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife, Bethany. Brad and Bethany started dating when she was 14 and he was 16. They just celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary.

Brad and Bethany are both very proud of their three daughters. Brookelyn, 23, graduated from the University of Missouri in 2022 and is now working for the University Hospital in the NICU department. Bridgette, 22, graduated from Flagler University in St. Augustine, Florida. She is currently working on her MBA and plans to attend law school. Brylee, 19, is a sophomore at the University of Missouri, majoring in diagnostic science. They also have three dogs and three cats that keep them entertained.

Brad invites you to call anytime to collaborate on innovative ideas or do a little problem solving.