Communities across Pennsylvania are growing and thriving because their community banks care. The service and commitment demonstrated by community bank employees keeps customers faithful, and their sincerity keeps others hopeful. It is because of these employees that communities across the Commonwealth are thriving and becoming better places to live and work.
When it comes to community banking in Pennsylvania, the uniqueness, talent and attributes of the 14,000 individual community bank employees combine to make the entire industry greater than the sum of its parts.
As we travel across Pennsylvania, we meet community bank employees from many different backgrounds. Some are new to the industry, others have worked their entire careers in it. No matter how long these employees have been involved in community banking, they all share a common thread – a love for their community. They truly are the ones responsible for #KeepingTheLightsOn in their hometown.
As part of an ongoing series, each month we will be featuring brief interviews with these community bank employees, these “Hometown Champions”. Through these interviews, we hope to gain some insight into what makes the community banking industry great in Pennsylvania.
This month, we chat with the hometown champions from Bank of Bird-in-Hand, an independent bank headquartered in Lancaster County. Opened on December 2, 2013, the bank was the first de novo bank in the United States in almost 3 years, and in Pennsylvania in over 5 years. Bank of Bird-in-Hand maintains a strong focus on agriculture, small businesses and consumer banking with state of the art banking technology, uncomplicated bank products and great personal service, making banking enjoyable again for their customers.
Jennifer Halligan, CPA
Chief Financial Officer, Vice President
How did you get into community banking?
Jennifer: After college, I worked for a CPA firm that audited credit unions which is where I first got a taste for financial institutions. From there, I was hired as a senior accountant at a community bank called Berks County Bank when they were about 10 years old. I really enjoyed the camaraderie and the community feel. Unfortunately, after about 5 years, the Bank was purchased by Sovereign Bank. After Berks County Bank, I joined Berkshire Bank, which was a startup bank. I worked for Berkshire Bank for 7 years before they were purchased by Customers Bank. After working for Customers Bank for a few years, I was offered the opportunity to work at Bank of Bird-in-Hand, another startup bank and I jumped at the chance. There is just something about being part of creating something from nothing and watching it grow knowing you had a hand in it. I feel very lucky to be surrounded by an amazing team of employees and committed directors, not to mention our wonderful customers and supportive shareholders.
What is the most rewarding aspect of working in community banking?
Jennifer: The most rewarding aspect of working in community banking is being able to truly make a difference in our communities; helping them to start a business, or buy a farm, or purchase a house.
People always want a definition of “community bank,” what’s yours?
Jennifer: My definition of a “community bank” is simple – a place where branch staff know your name, a place where you are made to feel important, a place that makes its decisions locally, a place that listens to the needs of its customers, and a place that is active in its community.
Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
Jennifer: I have always wanted to take a hot air balloon ride. My husband has a fear of heights so I never pursued the idea but it is something I always thought would be a great experience.
What is the 5th picture in your camera roll on your phone, and can you please share the story behind it?
Jennifer: The 5th picture on my phone is a picture of some friends on a train ride during a girl’s weekend in Maine. I am truly blessed to have some wonderful friends who I have known for many years and who just happen to also be community bankers (one is retired and the other is a co-worker at Bank of Bird-in-Hand). We have taken an annual girl’s weekend to a different destination each year for the last 5 years. In 2017, we decided to drive to Maine and rent a cabin on a lake. It was such an amazing weekend!
Lisa Williams
Assistant Branch Manager
How did you get into community banking?
Lisa: I started while I was in college working as a part-time teller at a small credit union. Since it was so small, I was given the opportunity to learn more about banking and take on more responsibilities. I was interested in growing into a bigger role in banking, but still keeping within a small community bank.
What is the most rewarding aspect of working in community banking?
Lisa: I love that I am able to get to know my customers – not only with their banking but on a personal level as well. Working for a community bank allows you to form relationships with your customers that builds trust and loyalty.
People always want a definition of “community bank,” what’s yours?
Lisa: My definition of a community bank is a bank that cares about their customers and is deeply vested in the community. The bank understands the needs and wants of the surrounding community and delivers on those as much as possible. It’s a bank that customers can truly trust.
Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
Lisa: I love dancing, particularly tap dancing. I have tapped on and off for the past 25 years. I started out taking classes as a kid, continued through college and eventually taught a couple of classes at various studios. I recently took an adult tap class that was a lot of fun!
What is the 5th picture in your camera roll on your phone, and can you please share the story behind it?
Lisa: This is a picture I took on my most recent vacation with my husband in the Florida Keys. This beach was outside our hotel in Key Largo and we were fortunate enough to have perfect sunsets every night!
Liesl Wolf
Chief Credit Officer
How did you get into community banking?
Liesl: Banking seems to have been my destiny. I started working in a Proof Department during college, it gave me an foundational understanding of banking and really piqued my interest in banking as a career. After college I started working at a regional bank. I was then recruited to a community bank by someone I had worked with previously. From there I have spent nearly 20 years in a community bank. Over the years, community banking has become an integral part of my identity.
What is the most rewarding aspect of working in community banking?
Liesl: The greatest joy for me in community banking is seeing how the work we do has a positive impact on our community. For instance, we recently financed a project that brought 20 jobs to the market. So not only is our customer benefiting, but an additional 20 families are too. Another example is when we finance a farmers who provide food security to our community through the products they produce. Knowing that without the bank they may not have been able to achieve those accomplishments brings meaning to the work I do.
People always want a definition of “community bank,” what’s yours?
Liesl: I think a lot of community banking is having a shared vision of how the area we serve can thrive. That means working with local business leaders, schools, and non-profits. While financial products are a big part of the partnership, our responsibility to our community does not stop there; it also includes participating in educational programs, sponsoring events and contributing to charities (with both financial and human resources). Community banking is unique in its perspective, in that it is not driven solely to create profit, it is driven to create a mutually beneficial relationship with our neighbors.
Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
Liesl: I like to write as a creative outlet. I have journals full of poetry, short stories and a “novella” in progress (it has been for nearly 20 years!).
What is the 5th picture in your camera roll on your phone, and can you please share the story behind it?
Liesl: This picture is of a group from my church who participated in a program called the Lititz Project. It is a program where teams from local churches help our neighbors with minor home improvement projects that they are unable to complete, often due to age or infirmity. My family, along with several other families, was working on yard/garden clean up and power washing.
Christine Diehl
Branch Manager
How did you get into community banking?
Christine: I was recruited into community banking after going through several large bank mergers early in my career. I quickly learned that this was a much better fit for me with the focus being on the individual needs of the customer and the needs of the local community.
What is the most rewarding aspect of working in community banking?
Christine: Getting to know customers and business owners and building strong relationships with them and their families. In community banking decisions are made locally and services are recommended for what is best for those customers rather than trying to sell a product. We are not only employees of the bank but we are also a part of our local community and seeing the success of our customers in very rewarding.
People always want a definition of “community bank,” what’s yours?
Christine: Community banking is getting to know your customers , understanding the needs of your local community while building lasting relationships.
Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
Christine: I have taken 3 years of sign language classes and hoped to become a sign language interpreter. Although interpreting did not happen I enjoy teaching others including my grandchildren some basic words.
What is the 5th picture in your camera roll on your phone, and can you please share the story behind it?
Christine: This is a picture of my 3 precious grandbabies at Knoebels. Love their smiles.
