Dear Fellow Community Bankers,

With summer just around the corner, vaccination rates rising, and restrictions easing, everyone is looking forward to life, mainly returning to the pre-pandemic normal. Interestingly, a lot of what we miss so much now we would likely have considered mundane 16 months ago. The lesson here is to enjoy life in the moment. The truth is the COVID pandemic will forever change our lives, our businesses, our industry, and our country. Community Bankers have always found ways to meet the needs of their customers and communities during previous life-altering seminal events in the past. As always, we will Improvise, Adapt and Overcome, again.

Many bankers I’ve connected with over the past few months have posed the same question: What’s next? With the promise that the pandemic is soon to be mostly behind us, everyone is trying to predict the “new normal” and redefine strategies to thrive in a post-pandemic economy. As leaders in our families, businesses, and industry, it is incumbent on us to take the lessons learned and use them to move ourselves and our industry forward. To not take the easy path of returning to the comfortable but instead take this opportunity to continue to reimagine the customer experience and how we can meet our current customers and prospects “where they are.” Over the past year, we have learned to become more agile and innovative. We will need to keep these skills sharp to build upon our pandemic success in serving our customers’ needs. Innovation will remain a standout core competency critical for every bank’s long-term growth and survival and not just technology advancements. While some will return to pre-pandemic ways of banking, we must continue to connect with our customers and actively listen to their needs to innovate and grow in the right direction.

Just as how we serve our customers’ needs has changed, so too has the way we think about and meet the needs of our employees. No doubt this has been quite an uncertain time for employees everywhere. While being concerned with their health and the health of loved ones, their work lives were changing as well. Most of what they knew and how they operated changed nearly overnight. Community banks everywhere have developed a sharper focus on their employees’ health and well-being across the board. The employee/company bond has been strengthened by promoting work from home and providing all the necessary tools to allow our employees to perform their jobs to a high level while ensuring the highest level of safety for all. Continuing to offer the benefits and flexibility our employees need will ensure we recruit and retain a staff that will grow with an ever-changing banking landscape.

I am confident we can continue our success by implementing innovative strategies to benefit our customers and our employees. Lean on your fellow banking leaders and the VACB for resources as we continue to serve our customers and communities well into the future successfully.

It truly is a great day to be a Community Banker!

J. Michael Thomas, Select Bank