It’s hard to believe that I have been in banking for 36 years. It seems like a short time ago, but now 20 years have passed since talking with Jim MacPhee about a possible move to KCSB. I had been working for First National Bank of Three Rivers for 16 years and had worked my way to Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Jim was aware of some of the changes occurring at First National at the time and said if I would like, he could get me into KCSB as a secondary market mortgage lender and also work with retail and commercial customers. I started at KCSB in August of 2003 and soon realized that the move here was the right job move for me. Although I was somewhat familiar with Schoolcraft as I had detasseled at Landis Farms from age 13 through high school and my mother had been a fifth-grade teacher at Schoolcraft Elementary for 5 years. My lending position allowed me to become more familiar with the community and many of its residents. In 2015, when Jim Goes retired, I replaced him as President and when Jim MacPhee retired in 2016, I replaced his position of CEO. It’s been a fun but challenging 7½ years as President and CEO. Since taking over, the Bank has grown by about 35% with assets holding steady around $125 million. We came through the COVID pandemic in good shape, and we are now working our way through this inflationary period in which we have seen the quickest interest rate increases in over 40 years. Banking has been a wonderful career for me. It is satisfying to help so many people meet their financial goals, whether that be business owners or consumer customers. I hope to continue helping our customers for several years to come.
Outside KCSB, I am active in the Community Bankers of Michigan, where I will serve as the Chairperson for the organization in 2026. I am also active with the Independent Community Bankers of America and serve on their Political Action Committee.
On a personal level, my wife, Laurie and I have been fortunate to be able to travel the country following our two daughters in both their high school sports as well as college sports. Our oldest, Holly, played golf for Central Michigan University and our youngest, Heidi, was a member of the University of Iowa Women’s rowing team. Our travels will be curtailed in the future as both girls have now graduated. We are not sure how we will replace this time but feel we will probably travel to some parts of the country we haven’t seen or visit places with family and friends.
When not traveling, I really enjoy playing golf, fishing, hunting, and towing my daughter around the lake, either wakeboarding or surfing.
I look forward to the next five years at KCSB as we celebrate our 120th anniversary and I celebrate my silver anniversary of employment. I appreciate the Board of Directors and the communities of Schoolcraft, Vicksburg, and Mattawan for all the support they give to their local “community bank.”