Pub. 4 2015 Issue 2

13 S U MM E R | 2015 Chairman’s Message ...Continued from page 13 President’s Message ...Continued from page 13 F E A T U R E educational offerings. Much more information about our strategic planning process will be disseminated in the months to come. And finally, we had a delegation of over fifteen bankers who attended the ICBA Washington Policy Summit this past April. We were able to sit across from many of Virginia’s US Senators and Representatives and make our voices heard on the issues that affect us and the way we do business. We made our plea for regulatory relief and gave specific stories of how this current regulatory environment is hurting us and hindering the way we are able to make loans. Will these visits help our cause? Only time will tell, but we must remain vigilant. We must stand together and make our voices heard. I applaud the ICBA staff and our own VACB president, Steve Yeakel in their many efforts to make our cause known. So as you can see, we have been busy advancing the ef- forts of the community banker. I encourage you now to mark your calendars for the VACB Convention this fall, October 18th – 20th at the Williamsburg Lodge. I offer you a personal invitation to join us and learn more about how we can help you. education program ideas. Feel free to contact our office, or any association officer, with your ideas. Several great recent programs have resulted from this kind of “happenstance synergy.” In the longer run, what does the VACB of the future look like? The strategic planning process to which Chair- man Caldwell referred is well under way, and we are looking forward to adding a few new initiatives to our current offering of programs and projects. Clearly, technology is a big part of a vital future for VACB, and we’re in the midst of an exciting transition to a robust association management system. The end result should be more and better communication with and for our members. We hope that challenges remain few and minor as we finish implementation, and we’re energized about what this upgrade in technology will mean for our value to our members. It’s a great time to advocate for community banking in Virginia. We have strong volunteer leadership, hardworking and committed staff and bankers across the Commonwealth that are engaged, and are becoming more so. Thanks for being the most valuable ingredient of a successful team! Reach your target audience a ordably. advertise get results KRIS MONTIONE Advertising Sales 727.475.9827 or 855.747.4003 kris@thenewslinkgroup.com