Community banking drives the success of all our towns and cities, no matter their size or complexity. Meeting the needs of these communities is critical to our success. The committed staff at all our banks are what drives community banking. We are partners in these communities with the citizens and businesses.

The beauty of community banking is that one size does not fit all; there are different needs in each and every community that is served. The thinking and strategic vision of the employees and boards at our community banks have to be diverse and may change within each banking organization if they have several branches. We are partners in all these communities.

As bankers in these community banks, we have to be transparent and look for ways to do things better and evolve as the industry changes. Competition is coming not only from other larger banks but from the fintechs as well who are taking some digital levels of service higher, but we will face those challenges head-on. Banking going forward will be challenging and ever-changing, but community bankers are not afraid. We have faced challenges before and continue to provide the needed services to our customers.

We can’t predict what the future holds, but one thing is true: Community bankers will have their customers and future potential customers front and center in their missions.

Each and every one of you can tell success stories of your communities and customers, and that is what drives you to be the best banker you can be each and every day. With the help of the training programs offered by MIBA and ICBA, we can be ahead of any changes and challenges that we may face in the future. These organizations provide us with great opportunities for our staff to become better bankers.

Community banking is not driven by a single moment in time but by the long journey of helping our customers.