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 First United National Bank, a full-service community bank that has served Clarion County and surrounding areas continuously since 1909. They are an independent, hometown bank locally owned and operated with strong community ties. When customers bank with The FUN Bank, they invest in their community’s future. Neighbors serving neighbors – that is what First United National Bank is all about.
Kelly Erwin
Operations and Electronic Banking Services
How did you get into community banking?
Kelly: I was working in a manufacturing facility in their accounting department and was unhappy. One of my coworkers knew I was looking to find a different job and told me that her sister worked at First United National Bank and they were looking to hire someone in the Operations Department. I submitted my resume and a few weeks later the bank called me for an interview, which was scheduled for the following Thursday. When I went back to work the next day I was called into the office and told that was my last day because my job had been terminated. On Monday of the next week the bank had called to offer me the job and I started at the bank on Wednesday of that same week.
What is the most rewarding aspect of working in community banking?
Kelly: I think the most rewarding aspect of working in community banking is getting to know the customers and being able to form lasting relationships with them.
People always want a definition of “community bank,” what’s yours?
Kelly: My definition of “community bank” is being able to directly help a customer. Whether it’s helping them get a loan for a new home or a new car, or being able to help a customer out with an issue on their checking account.
Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
Kelly: Most people don’t know that I work as hard as I play. That is true whether I’m getting involved in implementing a new product, working on an issue a customer has, or going four-wheeling with friends and family and being covered in dust, dirt and mud. It’s also common to find me operating a piece of heavy equipment outside of work.
What is the 5th picture in your camera roll on your phone, and can you please share the story behind it?
Kelly: The 5th picture in my camera roll is of myself and my shadow, a bull calf from a dairy. My neighbors have a farm where my husband and I help out. And this little guy came to live at the farm because dairy farms usually sell the bull calves. They do not produce milk. He was still just a baby, so he had to be bottle fed. I bottle feed and walk him. Now he likes to follow me around like a little shadow.
Bob Cross
Branch Manager
How did you get into community banking?
Bob: I started in banking, as a courier, while in college in 1978. After graduation I moved up the ladder by working in proof and as an auditor, a mortgage underwriter, and a mortgage originator. I’ve worked in various branch offices. During this 28-year period I survived five mergers and experienced the banks’ growth. I became more disengaged from what I liked about banking as they grew. Fifteen years ago, I had the opportunity to join the team at First United National Bank. After this move I was able to become the banker I was originally trained to be. I could be active in the community, and also active with customers’ lives. Serving customers with personal and business needs is what I enjoy. Also, I like working for a company where I know all the team members.
What is the most rewarding aspect of working in community banking?
Bob: Every day brings a new challenge. I have been blessed to have the same team members in my branch office for the past 15 years. This consistent employee base makes our customers comfortable when coming to the bank. We become engaged with them by using their names and asking questions like, “What’s new?” We celebrate our customers’ birthdays, send cards when they are in the hospital, attend funeral services, and are happy about new births. I enjoy working with our commercial customers when they expand. I help young couples buy their first home and help parents teach their children about the importance of establishing credit. I have been involved with the local schools by talking to students about banking.
People always want a definition of “community bank,” what’s yours?
Bob: This is easy. I have served on numerous social service boards in the area as well as my involvement with my church. A community bank is engaged with the community through the activities of the employees. Walking down the streets, I have the opportunity to greet community members. They know I work for a community bank. My involvement with the Rotary club has also benefited my ability to give back in various ways. Management encourages team members to be active in community functions.
Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
Bob: Two things come to mind. First, after relocating to Oil City and living in a 100-year-old large home, our house caught fire. We experienced the generosity of community members who helped us after this tragedy. This event is something I would not want to experience again. Second is my involvement in my church’s handbell choir. I come from a musical family and to my surprise I found my niche with handbells. It is a joy playing for church services as well as touring nursing homes for performances.
What is the 5th picture in your camera roll on your phone, and can you please share the story behind it?
Bob: Now that I have four grandchildren, they are front and center. The picture is my grandson Jack sleeping on our dog, Sawyer. We adopted Sawyer two years ago and he is number one when the grandchildren are not around. We travel between Cleveland and Philadelphia to visit our grandchildren and always bring Sawyer.
Diana Allaman
Teller
How did you get into community banking?
Diana: I had just moved to Pennsylvania and I applied for a job at a community bank. I have loved it ever since.
What is the most rewarding aspect of working in community banking?
Diana: For me, knowing the customer and feeling like you’re part of the family.
People always want a definition of “community bank,” what’s yours?
Diana: Community banking is having a close relationship with the customers and treating them not just as numbers, but as friends.
Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
Diana: I love mowing my lawn. It is very relaxing and I mow a different direction each week, either up and down, side to side, and even diagonally.
What is the 5th picture in your camera roll on your phone, and can you please share the story behind it?
Diana: Two of my seven children are soccer fans, so when I saw this at a restaurant I had to send it to them because I am a huge football fan.
Craig Siegel
Loan Officer
How did you get into community banking?
Craig: I previously worked at a larger bank that had been acquired by another bank. The office I was working at as a part-time teller was being closed. I was transferred to another branch office as a full-time teller and about six months later it was announced that branch office was moving to the new Wal-Mart that was being built, and all the employees were not guaranteed positions. My mom was working at First United National Bank at the time and she was very happy with her job and was never in jeopardy of losing it. I knew that First United National Bank was opening a new office and I wanted to be considered for a position, so I updated my resume and submitted it to the bank. I was hired and almost 22 years later I am still here and have never looked back. It was the best decision I ever made.
What is the most rewarding aspect of working in community banking?
Craig: The most rewarding aspect, for me, is the fact that because we live in a small community we know 95 percent of our customers and their families on a personal level, but we also know them on the financial side as well. Whenever our customers come into our offices, to transact their banking or apply for a loan, our employees often chat about our families and what is going on in our lives. The family friendly atmosphere that First United National Bank offers is what separates us from most other banks.
People always want a definition of “community bank,” what’s yours?
Craig: Community banking to me is serving our customers financial needs, without making them feel uncomfortable coming to our offices to talk to someone about a financial need or problem. Our number one goal is customer satisfaction and letting people know “we are here to help”!
Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
Craig: I pretty much share everything about my life, so this is a hard question to answer. I guess I would say that most people don’t know that I am scared to death of snakes or anything in the reptile family.
What is the 5th picture in your camera roll on your phone, and can you please share the story behind it?
Craig: The 5th picture on my phone is my great nephew Haden. We were at a family get-together at my sister’s house and I was trying to get a picture of him looking at the camera and also smiling. He is three years old, so that is not an easy thing to do!
Julie Lencer
Loan Clerk
How did you get into community banking?
Julie: It is an interesting story how I actually got into community banking. I was working at a dental office as a dental assistant. My boss was in the process of trying to sell his dental practice and that left me with an uncertain future. I had interviewed for a job with the Adult Probation office before getting the phone call from the bank. I had dropped off my resume to the bank when I graduated from high school in 1982. In March 1992, I received a call from First United National Bank to interview for a part-time position in the loan department. They needed someone to help keep the insurance policies for the loans updated in the files, which had fallen behind with only two people working in the department. So, it ended up that I had two job offers to consider – the one at the bank and the one for the Adult Probation office. That was not an easy decision to make. Ultimately, I began my journey with First United National Bank as a part-time employee in the loan department on March 27, 1992. I became full-time in August 1992 and I have seen many changes during the past 27 years.
What is the most rewarding aspect of working in community banking?
Julie: The most rewarding aspect of working in community banking is getting to know your customers and being able to take care of their needs personally. I actually have a couple of customers who call me directly when they need something taken care of for their account. It is also nice to see generations of the same family continue to bank with us.
People always want a definition of “community bank,” what’s yours?
Julie: My definition of a community bank is a place where a customer can go and still experience face-to-face personal, friendly service. I think that type of interaction is important to have in our daily lives. Going the extra mile makes the customer feel more appreciated. I have had many experiences where I have been waited on as a customer and felt like I was just another person the clerk had to take care of.
Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
Julie: I know sign language. I have a niece who has been deaf since she was 10 months old and I have taken many sign language classes through the years.
What is the 5th picture in your camera roll on your phone, and can you please share the story behind it?
Julie: The 5th picture on my cameral roll on my phone is a photo of my sister Carol and me eating breakfast. One of our good friends buys tickets to go to the Spring Flower Seminar that the Garden Club holds at C & A Trees in Clarion the first Saturday of March. You get to enjoy listening to a guest speaker, eating a nice lunch and planting flowers in a planter. C & A Trees then keeps the planters until right before Mother’s Day, and when you pick them up the flowers are in full bloom. My mom, sisters Jolene and Carol and I always go out to eat breakfast at the County Seat in Clarion before we go to the Spring Flower Seminar.
