Pub. 5 2016 Issue 4

The CommunityBanker 10 T VACB members gathered in Leesburg for their 39th Annual Convention and Trade Show at Lansdowne Resort, October 2–4, 2016. Getting to be in the heart of Virginia’s wine country at the start of fall was a true delight for the attendees. The fall weather was perfect for creating a memorable occasion and a truly success- ful program! The timeless “recipe for convention success” was on full display at this year’s meeting: checking the pulse and sensing the trends in the current banking environ- ment, exposure to the latest offerings from our Associ- ate Members and the chance to network and connect with friends from across the Commonwealth. Our two Business Sessions were full of great information, insight and inspiration. At the beginning of the Monday ses- sion the membership approved the slate of officers for 2017. Entering into the process of “moving through the chairs” is another great banker, Brian Plum from Blue Ridge Bank in Luray. Once the election and other association business had finished, VACB’s own compliance expert, Patti Blenden of Financial Solutions wowed the group with her witty, humorous session on a bank’s Compliance Management System (CMS) and shoring up the organization’s Culture of Compliance. The rules are extensive and volatile and there really isn’t an end in sight! Keeping the bank’s CMS ship shape is a must in today’s regulatory environment. Terry Dooley followed with an update on the current state of play in the payments arena. In order to attract and retain customers, banks must have payments that are faster, easier and safer than what’s available today. Terry described some of the up-and-coming payment technologies for attendees, and discussed the disruption those technologies will cause to “banking as normal.” Preparing for these payments changes now is the best way to survive and thrive in this new environment. Our first Business Session ended with Tom Knox, from the Ace Hardware Center for Excellence. Tom discussed how Ace Hardware stores and community banks are more alike than most people realize. He says Ace Hardware owners collaborate with other local Ace Hardware owners, even though they are actually competitors, much like multiple community banks in the same area. For Ace Hardware store owners, the collaboration is their insulation against the big box stores like Home Depot, Lowes and even Walmart. Hmm, does that sound familiar? There were truly so many correlations between community banks, bound together through membership in VACB and the Ace Hardware store owners, that Tom challenged attendees to think about what they could do as partners with local banks in their area to create a unified presence that would be able compete with their big banks. There was a lot of food for thought in Tom’s remarks. Monday afternoon, attendees had a choice of two excur- sions. Options included lunch and a tour of the Stone Tower Winery or lunch and a tour of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport. Both excursions were greatly enjoyed. As the afternoon turned to evening, attend- ees gathered to celebrate our 2016 Chairman, Mike Ewing, at the Chairman’s Reception and Banquet. Our reception allowed guests to enjoy a beautiful fall evening outside with gorgeous views of the hills beyond the resort. From the re- ception, attendees made their way to dinner where the eve- ning began with a tribute to a long-time Associate Member who left us earlier this year. Chip and Lillian Barnhart were asked to come forward to hear the proclamation created by VACB in memory of Chip’s father, Bernie Barnhart, Bank Design & Equipment. Bernie was one of the original Associ- ate Members of the association and from 1977 until last year had never missed a convention or golf tournament. Former VACB President Don Unger, who died only weeks before the convention, was also memorialized. The Honorable Robert Hurt, Congressman from Virginia’s 5th District and member of the House Financial Services Committee, attended the convention and made brief com- ments at the banquet, although his comments were bit- tersweet in light of his departure from the Congress at the end of this year. Congressman Hurt has been a true friend to community banks through the many years of his public service, both at the state and national levels. VACB 39th Annual Convention October 2-4, 2016 Lansdowne Resort