As a third-generation banker, Chuck is proud of his family’s banking legacy. His grandfather, Lorenzo H. Gnuse, founded the Durham State Bank in 1922. He was commissioned by the State of Missouri to assist in the liquidation of banks throughout Missouri that were failing due to the nationwide depression.
Six years later, the citizens of Lewistown, Missouri, approached Lorenzo to charter a new bank in Lewistown because the two banks in town had failed once again due to the depression. He, with the help of his wife, Ida Gnuse, and brother, Solomon Gnuse, then established the Lewistown State Bank in 1928.
Both banks remained open during this financially challenging time, and in 1936, the two banks were merged. In 1973, another branch was opened in Ewing, Missouri and then again in 1991 in Edina, Missouri. With the addition of the Edina branch, the name of the bank was changed to United State Bank. United State Bank currently has six facilities in four Northeast Missouri counties.
As a young child, Chuck was blessed to be able to visit his grandparents at the bank every couple of weeks. Running around the bank “probably made my grandfather a little concerned,” he mused. One of Chuck’s favorite memories was watching his grandfather interact with customers. And if he was lucky, he sat in his grandfather’s office when there was something going on and listened to the conversation. Chuck had similar experiences with his father, Donald Gnuse, being able to watch him at work in the bank, interacting with customers and attending board meetings. These experiences provided many learning opportunities and tutelage that many people don’t have.
Although his grandfather and father were in banking, there wasn’t any pressure for Chuck to follow in their footsteps. Chuck graduated from Western Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science in Geology.
After graduation, Chuck went to Iowa and worked for an aggregate company that specialized in construction materials. He recalls the internship he had there: “It was an interesting experience; the senior 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 encourages his employees to give input on where monetary donations may best serve the community.
When asked about mentors in his life, Chuck quickly replies that his father set an example he is proud to follow. “My father has been in banking his entire life. I have tried to follow in his footsteps when it comes to banking. He was very kind to his fellow employees and treated them fairly when decisions needed to be made. I listened to many of my father’s conversations with customers, both good and bad. I try to do the same with my current customers. Listening about good things and bad. In bad situations, I try to have the best outcome for the customer and work with them on solutions.”
When mentoring others, Chuck offers three pieces of advice:
- Network with professionals in your decided career path; it is important for your career and educational growth.
- Embrace learning throughout your career. You can teach an old dog new tricks. Attend educational programs related to your job or profession.
- Set goals for yourself, long-term and short-term. This will help you stay focused on the task at hand.
United State Bank has been a member of MIBA for years. Chuck appreciates the many benefits it brings to the bank and its employees. “The opportunity to interact with other bankers, access to banking resources, and educational programs for our employees are big benefits,” Chuck stated. “Resources for our employees help them to be more effective in the tasks they are trying to complete.” He also appreciates the advocacy on legislative and regulatory issues that MIBA provides.
Chuck and his wife have three children: Emily, Michael and Mark — all three of them have chosen to work at the bank in different capacities. Emily works as the Compliance Officer, Michael is in operations and is working on online and mobile banking, and Mark handles all the bank’s collateral inspections and evaluations for homes.
In his free time, Chuck enjoys spending time on his 540-acre family farm — part of which was originally owned by his mother’s side of the family, and as surrounding property has come up for sale, Chuck and Michele have purchased it. He enjoys walking into his backyard and fishing on the lake or climbing on his bike and riding to his deer stand to do a little hunting.
Brewing beer has also been a favorite pastime. A number of years ago, Chuck and his friend were members of a brew club when they were approached by a business owner whose brewer was relocating and wanted someone to take over the brewing process. They took on the challenge and started brewing for a local pub. The COVID years brought change and Chuck stopped brewing. However, he wants to start again as his wife keeps giving him grief for stopping. “She loves wheat beer with a slice of orange,” Chuck said with a smile.
