Pub. 7 2019 Issue 4

2 The Community Banker www.mibonline.org AndrewWest President’s Address W ith the holidays behind us and 2020 in front of us, I am more excited than ever to move for- ward with positive energy on behalf of the MIB and the amazing Montana banking community. I’m hoping to meet many new people this year and to spend some time on the road visiting both member and non-member banks. I feel the ICBA and MIB are truly looking out for all of our best interests and I want to work hard generat- ing momentum and support for Montana’s independent banks. As many of you know, I am passionate about community banking and I will do whatever I can to ensure inde- pendent community banking continues to thrive in Montana. I believe in many of our towns, it’s the banks that tie the commu- nity together economically, and through the responsible provision of credit, we truly enrich lives and better our communities. I urge all of you to support the MIB and the ICBA and their missions. Only through united efforts on the state legislative front and through lobbying efforts in Washing- ton D.C. can we make our voices heard. We must work together to lessen the pressures that threaten our existence. As many of you know and feel every day, there is a myriad of issues that make community banking a challenging pursuit. From regulatory pressure to unfair com- petition from credit unions, it is becoming increasingly difficult to survive as an inde- pendent bank. Thankfully, however, there are a lot of great people working on our behalf to ensure the future of community banking in Montana. That being said, I would love to hear from you how we at the MIB can better serve you. What issues are top of mind or of greatest concern to you? We are here to advocate on your behalf, and we can only do a good job if we know what issues are critical to you. So, please feel free to reach out to me and let me know how we can do a better job of representing your interests on a state and federal level. It is my sincere hope we can continue to evolve the MIB to be an association you can be proud to be part of. And an association that represents you responsively and effectively in a way you would like being represented. We have an amazing legacy of true community banking in Montana, and it is incumbent on all of us to work together to preserve what is essentially our way of life. We owe it to ourselves, our shareholders, and our communities to ensure we are here for generations to come. We can only do this by looking forward and identify- ing threats and taking action to minimize those threats. By presenting a united front through the MIB and ICBA, we can and do make our concerns heard on both the state and federal level. I have often witnessed the power of this cooperation in my relatively short tenure with the MIB. It is impressive to see what congruent people can accomplish when they focus their efforts on issues of serious concern. So, heading into 2020, let’s make this the best year ever for community banks in Mon- tana. Let’s work together to improve our association, our communities and our state. Independent, community banks play such a vital role in so many towns across Montana. We not only provide banking services that foster business growth and homeowner- ship, but we are also all incredibly giving with our time in the form of community service and of our money through charita- ble contributions. I think most would agree that the preservation of and advocacy on behalf of Montana’s independent banks is a worthwhile pursuit. How we accomplish this is by working together and by bringing as many like-minded people into the fold as possible. With a cooperative effort by all and through our cooperation, we will be able to do great things for our industry and our communities. The only way we can do this, however, is by having a clear understanding of the issues and threats at hand. So, again, please reach out to me [awest@eaglebankmt. com] and let me know what issues are of concern to you and how you would like the MIB to represent you going forward. I will do everything I can to ensure your concerns are being heard and that the association is working diligently on your behalf. It is excit- ing to think of all the great progress made so far and all of the things we will be able to accomplish together in the future. The Big Sky’s the limit!