Pub. 5 2016 Issue 4

The CommunityBanker 18 Building Business Continuity Partnerships Business Continuity Planning Association for Virginia Financial Institutions n times of crisis, knowing who to count on can make all the difference. Virginia 1st helps make those connec- tions before they’re needed. Virginia 1st is the Com- monwealth of Virginia’s financial industry business continuity planning coalition, comprised of volunteers organized to 1) Address the Department of Homeland Security issues affecting the financial industry in Vir- ginia, 2) Develop and maintain relationships with city, county, state and federal agencies, and private indus- tries which have an impact on business continuity 3) Enhance the financial industry’s capability to respond to and recover from disastrous situations. Virginia 1st formed in the fall of 2007 at the urging of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the FDIC. Virginia 1st is patterned after Chicago FIRST, which was the first such group to be established in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The formation of Virginia 1st followed the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which affected large swaths of New Orleans for long periods, testing the resilience capabilities of businesses. Virginia 1st seeks to inform members about business conti- nuity resources, share business resilience information and lessons learned, and foster relationships between members. “We’re about building partnerships,” said Gary Lupton, Ex- ecutive Director of Virginia 1st. Today, Virginia 1st has 27 members, 20 strategic partners and 6 regulatory partners that include banks, credit unions, government agencies and emergency management depart- ments. The organization established regions in the state that correspond to the regional groupings utilized by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM). Members benefit from 1) Daily information Feeds from Emergency Management Groups on the latest threats and responses, 2) Attendance at the Annual Membership meeting with focused education and training provided at no additional charge 3) Access to periodic webinars on potential threats and response topics 4) Networking and peer contacts with BCP and Disaster Response Professionals, both from the financial industry, regulatory partners and government emergency management groups. The partnership has been especially beneficial to community banks, where business continuity management is often a part-time job for a bank executive, and resources are not as readily available. Virginia 1st owes much of its success to the strong relationships and partnerships we have established with our public sector partners on the local, state, and federal levels, as well as with non-profit entities. With these agencies, we have been able to plan, educate, train, and exercise together, as well as share criti- cal response and recovery information and strategies. Need to raise your Business Continuity Plan to the next level? For additional benefits of Membership, please contact any Virginia 1st Board Member or visit www.virginia1st.org F E A T U R E By Gary Lupton, Virginia First