Isn't That Rich Podcast

As young females in the banking industry we love simplifying the confusing yet everyday questions that people have about money such as how do I get my finances in order, where is money really going, how do I invest for my future, how do I make my money work for me, can I really afford to build that new home? These are the questions that keep us up at night, but the truth is no one is born knowing how to handle their finances, and chances are walking into a bank to ask someone about it is intimidating. Whether you’re a single person in your early 20’s saving for your first home, or you’re an empty nester wondering what to do with your extra spending cash, this is the podcast for you!

Ashley and I are marketers first and foremost but the products and services we market are bank products which means we were forced to learn the ins and outs of banking to be confident in our role at the bank. There are so many questions we have daily about banking whether it’s about a mortgage, or a deposit slip, or a commercial loan. When those questions come up, we are fortunate to be able to pop on over to our banking expert’s offices and ask them and although our coworkers might get tired of the questions we ask, we know our job as a community bank is to bring those answers out in an approachable way.

So, when we first sat down and decided to create this podcast, a lot of our “why” stemmed from the questions we, as a marketing team have daily. There are a lot of questions that go unanswered and if the two of us are face-to-face with the experts every day and still find banking difficult to understand, the people in the community must really be struggling to find the true, reliable answers they need to feel confident in their financial decisions. Our purpose for this podcast is to give our listeners access to the banking experts without having to step foot in the bank.

What makes a community bank different, especially Farmers?

Community banks are the backbone of America. The people you will see inside a community bank are members of the community and understand the needs of the people in which it serves. They give back to their community in ways that will truly make an impact.

So, what sets Farmers State Bank apart? Well, Farmers started out as a tiny community bank in Alto Pass, IL which is a quaint village in the Shawnee National Forest. The Franks family purchased the Alto Pass branch from the Rendleman family in 1994, but the bank has been in operation since 1910. In fact, the original vault is still there and is a true reflection of the immense history of the banking industry. It didn’t take long for the Franks family built a new branch in Harrisburg, IL in 1995, followed by the Marion East location in 2000 and the Marion West location in 2015. The fifth location in Herrin, IL is scheduled to open Spring of 2023.

Not only is FSB a family owned and operated bank, but it is also a faith-based bank. This is one of the things that truly sets us apart. If you drive past any of our branches, you’ll notice our pylon signs may have a verse of scripture on it  We believe it is import to convey to our community that we are not afraid of our faith and it’s all about your values. What is important to you, what do you value in life and if you’re a person of faith and you relate to that scripture you want to be doing business with a bank that shares those same values.

Farmers State Bank was also named the Top Extraordinary Bank in the Nation for 2022, an honor for exemplary performance in five areas of banking: customer service, philanthropy, thought leadership, workplace culture, and financial literacy education. We're going to dive into what each one of these areas of banking and why they are so important to us, at Farmers State Bank.

Customer Service

The importance of great customer service has been lost in so many ways. Farmers State Bank makes customer service a priority and always ensures the people who walk into our branches feel taken care of, respected, known, and seen. There is nothing worse than going to a place of business when someone doesn’t treat you the way you deserve to be treated, especially when you’re bringing your money to them. We’ve all had a horrible experience with customer service and that kind of experience sticks with you forever. It all comes down to what is important to you. How important is it to you that you go to a bank that has proven to have and has won awards based on excellent customer service?

Philanthropy

Philanthropy is what we are doing to build and support our community. Farmers State Bank is extremely generous when it comes to giving back to the areas we serve financially, but this also means having boots on the ground and serving in ways like volunteering when needed. When something comes up, our team will be there for our community whether its serving food to the hungry, or by donating goods and distributing them to the needy. This goes to show what our team is made of and the values we look for in who we hire to work for us as well. Not only are we willing to give financially but our team is willing to roll up our sleeves and get dirty to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Financial Literacy

Large banks are required to provide financial literacy. Farmers State Bank isn’t required to, but we provide it for our community anyway. One of our goals we had last year was financial wellness in the communities we serve in southern Illinois and through that we realized the only way we can help our community grow and become financially healthy is through education. We developed a team to go out and serve different groups within our community and teach them how to become more financially healthy. One of the groups we do this with is our school systems.

Workplace Culture

All banks do the same thing. We all offer the same products and do the same thing. You come in to deposit your check and you take out your money as you need it, it’s a transactional business. But what sets us apart is our workplace culture. We have instilled standards in which our entire team is held to and abide by and we have a clear understanding that we are here to support each other. We’ve taken out all the disturbing things that can go on in a workplace like gossiping and the politics of it all and everyone is held to the standards we came up with together. All of us love going to work every day and when the place you’re going to work and love the people you see every day, you don’t mind spending time there. Our company culture is why so many people are drawn to Farmers State Bank. When a workplace is healthy, you can feel it! When you walk into a place where there is conflict you can feel the atmosphere change. Having the presence of workplace culture that is positive and healthy makes a big difference.

Thought Leadership

Thought leadership is the ongoing education we provide for our team, whether that is sending them to conferences or getting them enrolled in accredited banking programs, Farmers State Bank is constantly looking for ways our employees can better themselves in their role at Farmers State Bank. When your employees are feeling challenged in their jobs, the chance of them leaving your company are less. If an employee feels stagnant and that there is no more growth left, they leave that position in search of another. By encouraging self-development and investing in our employees, we have found our employee retention has increased dramatically.  If an employee has goals to be in management someday, we want to make sure they are getting to management. By doing the work to develop them into leaders or managers it ensures they will be ready to take on that position when it does become available.

Now that you know a bit about who we are and what our purpose is for the podcast, we hope you come along on this journey with us.