Pub. 7 2012-2013 Issue 4

www.nebankers.org 20 Extraordinary Service for Extraordinary Members. On that score, he says the industry is well-equipped with the talented profes- sional staff at ABA and the volunteer banker leaders that direct that staff and participate on committees and task forces. But it will take more than that to move the needle, in Williams’ view. It will take a sense of responsibility from a far greater percentage of the industry’s ranks. He acknowledges the difficulties faced by many banks—sometimes from things not of their own doing. But giving in to the difficulties by call- ing it quits or by pointing fingers will not change anything, he says. To Williams, the only effective response to difficulties is to take responsibility for the future of the industry and to stand up for banking. “It’s our responsibility, as custodians of our industry, to work to repair rela- tionships with regulators; to support BankPAC; to volunteer for association committees and task forces; to help improve the level of financial education; and to tell the stories of the good things bankers do across the country. We can’t depend on anybody else doing that. “One more thing,” he adds: “Recruit another banker to do this with you. It is no longer acceptable to let someone else carry the water.” Z Reprinted with permission from the October 2012 edition of the ABA Banking Journal, the flagship monthly magazine of the American Bankers Association. Reach Bill Streeter, editor and publisher of the ABA Banking Journal, at bstreeter@sbpub.com. Matt Williams’ Other Job T HE CROWN JEWEL WAS FRITO-LAY. IT TOOK THREE YEARS for the Gothenburg, Neb., “sales team” to bring it about, but now one of two Frito-Lay corn-gathering facilities in the United States is based in this small city on the Great Plains. Local banker Matt Williams, president of Gothenburg State Bank, was a driving force in making this happen. He flew to Frito-Lay headquarters in Plano, Texas, with other local representatives to make a crucial presentation. Three other Fortune 500businesses nowhave operations in the city of 3,800—recruited by Gothenburg’s develop- ment team. “Like many agricultural communities, Gothenburg suf- fered during the farm crisis of the 1980s,” Williams relates. “A group of citizens made a commitment to be proactive to ensure that Gothenburg had a future. They didn’t just throw up their hands.” He was one of them. As always, funding was needed. The group worked with the city to get an economic development sales tax on the ballot, which passed by just 22 votes. With the proceeds, the group turned their attention to bringing in companies to create jobs—the top priority. Their first success was Baldwin Filters, in 1990, which brought 200 jobs. After Baldwin came Frito-Lay, Monsanto’s Water Utilization Learning Center, and others. In all, more than $60 million has been invested by companies coming into Gothenburg, and 550 new jobs have been added. Also, the tax base has grown from $39 million in 1990 to more than $183 million today, and the city’s population has grown 9 percent. Much more was involved beyond recruiting new busi- nesses. The companies—and their employees—needed housing, quality health care and educational facilities, plus recreational opportunities. All thiswas tackled, and the result was an upward spiral of growth and improvement. Williams and others, for example, were instrumental in working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to finance a new critical- care facility. Likewise, they helped develop the links-style Wild Horse Golf Club, which now attracts 10,000 outside golf rounds a year. In all these things, the community worked hard to get many people involved so they would have ownership in the broadest sense. “We have always taken the approach that projects shouldn’t be funded only by people who can write large checks,” says Williams. That kind of broad involvement combined with can-do leadership, made all the difference. Williams believes ele- ments of this approach could prove useful to the challenges banks face. Z Q Leadership Ride — continued