Pub. 5 2010-2011 Issue 6

www.nebankers.org 18 Extraordinary Service for Extraordinary Members. What’s the toughest part of the job? The toughest part of my job and the best part of my job are the same: dealing with people. Having the ability to negotiate through conflict and differences in people’s direction and philosophy always presents a challenge. The toughest part of the job is having to turn someone down for a loan and having to collect on a loan that turned out bad. What’s the best advice you have ever received? I had the opportunity to hear General Norman Schwarzkopf speak on leadership. He said you only need to do two things to be a good leader. First, you have to decide you want to be a leader, and second, you have to do what’s “right.” If we always “do what’s right” in our personal and professional lives, we will enjoy a high level of success. I’ve watched this work throughout my career. As a community banker, one is not at a loss for advice received. The trick is to sort it all out and make it work for you. Nebraska and the nation have many great bankers who I’ve had the opportunity to work with over the years and I’ve learned something from all of them. What are the greatest challenges facing the Nebraska banking industry? There are many challenges facing the banking industry in Nebraska and all across the USA. General economic conditions, continued bank consolidation, loss of rural population, more regulation, continued regula- tory oversight, and income statement and balance sheet pressure, to name a few. However, I believe the greatest challenge involves the recruitment and retention of the best people to serve our industry. All our tough issues become more manageable if we have great people working together to find and implement solutions. Great people make large challenges small. Remaining involved and focused on the issues of the day. It is important to involve bankers from across not only Nebraska but also the rest of the country to take the time to participate to make banking better. You have many bankers who are involved but there are many more that could step up to the plate and participate. Without grassroots involvement what we do on the national level is much tougher to do. You do not have to be an officer of the Independent Community Bankers Associa- tion or the American Bankers Association to contribute. Bankers can contribute by staying abreast of the issues that face our industry; they can get to know and stay in contact with their elected representatives on both a state and national level; they can participate on the state level with the Nebraska Independent Community Bankers and the Nebraska Bankers Association. Both organizations have the resources to help bankers from across the state—small banks and large banks—step up to make a difference. How do you anticipate the industry changing over the next decade? I believe the industry will continue to consolidate like many other in- dustries. My fear is that this may have a significant negative impact on less populated rural areas across our country. I do not believe it is good public policy to create a situation that allows this to happen because of additional regulatory burdens. It is imperative that all bank trade associations, state and national, address this issue in an aggressive unified manner. The next year is tough enough to anticipate so 10 years is a real stretch but here goes. Consolidation of our industry will most likely continue for one reason or another. With the passage of the Wall Street Financial Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, I believe community banks are positioned very well for the future. We really came out pretty well with the recent legislation and will continue to do well in the future. The Independent Community Bankers of America and the Nebraska Independent Community Bankers have worked together to point out the difference between Main Street and Wall Street so that the White House, Congress, and banking regulators knowwhat a community bank is, know that we are serving the needs of our local communities, and further understand that Main Street is different fromWall Street. A “white line” has been drawn. With the success of the recent legislation, most Nebraska banks will have lower FDIC assessments beginning in 2011 and all banks will have higher FDIC insurance limits for our depositors—just to name two important benefits from ICBA and NICB involvement. I do believe that our best days are in front of us, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be setbacks and disappointments. Community bankers are good at moving forward and making tomorrow a better day. What excites you most about banking? Our future! Community banking is the most significant factor influ- encing the economic stability and economic growth of our country. In the United States, small business creates the most new jobs, and the lender of choice for small business is community banks. Our ability to adapt will allow us to survive even with added regulation and oversight. Community banking is a great model and one that is truly made in America. I look forward to the challenges that are before us and work- ing to make a better place for community banking and their communi- ties—today and tomorrow. The folks who are community bankers, who work each day to make their communities a better place, make us all proud. Community banks build better communities and a better nation. Q National Notoriety — continued on page 20