Pub. 6 2018 Issue 2

4 The Community Banker www.mibonline.org President’s Address TomChristnacht A s I write this article, we have just fin- ished the MIB 2018 Annual Convention and I am enjoying some much-needed vacation time. I am at the beach at Seaside Oregon with my family. Looking back on this year’s convention, I believe the convention was probably one of our most successful ever. We had the largest number of people in attendance in years and plenty of vendors too. In fact, we had 24 vendors participate this year, a number that well exceeds vendor participation in the last 20 years. Jim, Terri James and our temporary helper, Roy Caldwell, did a wonderful job running the show. Perhaps the best part of the convention was the quality of the speakers, who were both educational and entertaining. The Saturday evening banquet had not one but two keynote speakers, including my per- sonal favorite, Montana artist Monte Dolack. Monte’s presentation brought back a lot of memories for those of us who have seen his art throughout the years. The golf tournament could not have been better, especially for this guy - your president. Six months after having major shoulder sur- gery I was finally able to swing my driver! This being said, I was reminded once again while out on the course that there are some really good players – and I am not one of them. I always enjoy listening to Melanie Hall, our banking commissioner and also to economist Patrick Barkey. Our final speaker of the day on Saturday was Mike Sangray of our partner Anderson ZurMuehlen, who scared the heck out of everyone talking about cyber security and current fraud trends. 2018 marked the 51st year of MIB’s exis- tence. Our organization remains strong and healthy even though our industry continues to go through more and more consolidation. The association keeps growing in terms of mem- bership size and services offered. In addition, our associate member base keeps expanding – which reflects both the health of MIB and of Montana’s community banks. What is more, we had several new and returning members this year, including First Citizens Bank of Butte, Citizens Bank & Trust of Big Timber, Valley Bank of Ronan and Glacier Bancorp, Inc. The board of directors has been looking for more possible benefits to offer members. I really like the Compliance Programwe offer as a member benefit – the CBC Program. My bank, First Security Bank of Deer Lodge, has used the compliance hotline for many different questions and find it extremely useful. At only $1,000 a year, the program is a bargain and is a hit with regulators as well. One of the greatest benefits to attending our annual state convention is the ability to meet with and talk with fellow bankers. I think I learned as much from talking and socializing with other members of Montana’s banking community as I did from our guest speak- ers. Due to the contacts I have made at the convention and through the association, I have borrowed and shared many policies with other bankers. For us little banks, the convention is also a great place to discuss possible loan participations with other bankers. Perhaps, what is best about our convention is that it is held in a Montana community each year – and not out of State. MIB is the community banking association for Montana community banks and the annual state convention reflects that mission. MIB truly has one focus – serving Montana community banks. I have been a community banker for the majority of my adult life, starting in the early 1980s coming out of Montana State Universi- ty. Sitting on an Oregon beach in 2018, I find myself excited for the future of community banking in Montana. There were some difficult times for banks in the late 2000s but we have plenty of smart, young bankers in the state, some of whom are presently serving on our Board of Directors. The growing interest in our profession is shown by the fact that the MSU Community Banking Program at the Jake Jabs College of Business at MSU continues to grow with the financial backing of our association. All this being said, let me take a moment to recognize someone who has been a friend, partner, leader and star of the MIB. During the Saturday night president’s banquet at the MIB convention, we honored Kirk Sandquist for his 31 years of service to the Montana Indepen- dent Bankers. His knowledge and wisdom will be missed. On behalf of the MIB Board and staff, I say good luck and good speed Kirk. We hope you enjoy your retirement and will remember us fondly as you suffer through 122-degree days in Arizona. Finally, don’t forget about our football tail- gate parties. The UM football tailgate will be September 8th – the Drake Game. The num- ber one top team in the nation, best program in the world team, the MSU Bobcats tailgate party will be October 13, 2018. I hope to see you at one of these great member events.