Pub. 5 2016 Issue 4

The CommunityBanker 6 Chairman’s Message M E S S A G E ByAlice Frazier VACB Chairman Cardinal Bank t the VACB Convention I shared a story of a young base- ball team that had nearly given up during the last game of tournament. The teamwas about mid-way through the championship game, down several runs and seemingly out of gas. As one batter slowly walked to home plate, the doting parents and fans could hear the coach yell from the dugout “swing hard in case you hit it.” At this point what else did the batter have to lose? A crack of the bat later, the player is on second base and the next batter is up. Using the same bat and hearing the same piece of sage advice from the coach, that batter drove in the first run of the game for his team. Suddenly in a game often filled with superstition, the players began to believe they had a “magic bat.” Each player used the “magic bat” which in their minds ultimately delivered a win for the team. As adults we know that the bat did not hold magical powers rather the players became engaged in the game again. Success is contagious, the game became fun and winning never seemed in doubt. What does a “magic bat” and the VACB have to do with one another? I believe that the VACB is our “magic bat” - the perfect resource and partner to assist us in achieving success as a community banker, a com- munity bank and an industry. Our success should also be contagious. We need all to become more engaged in the opportunities to advocate for our industry, collaborate through our networking opportunities and leverage the quality education programs for your company. Now is the time for us to confidently walk up to the plate in the fight against burdensome regulations. Now is the time to heed the coach’s advice – “advocate hard to win it.” Our competitors in this contest – the federal govern- ment –just changed pitchers, and we have a whole new ball game. Let’s use this time to our advantage to reach out to our federal legislators, communicating our message of the differences between community banks and mega- banks. I also encourage you to bring the next generation of bankers along with you to those meetings or on those calls. We need to begin passing the bat to the next player and showing them the best pitches to hit. Congratulations to a few of our own All Stars: Rob Shuford, Chief Executive Officer of Old Point National Bank, as our Community Banker of the Year, and Jon Comer, Market President of Blue Ridge Bank, as our 2016 Rising Star. Both of these bankers exhibit the many fine qualities of the quintessential community banker and we are proud to name them as our inaugural winners. Now is our time, let’s make the most of it! Washington Just Changed Pitchers – We Have a New Ball Game A Your Bank. Our Experience. Better Together. SEK&Co has been serving independent community financial institutions for over 50 years. We provide every client with a team of dedicated and experienced professionals who deliver a full range of audit, tax, and consulting services. 717.263.3910 • 888.272.7351 SEK.com Top L-R: Gary D. Snyder, CPA gsnyder@sek.com Scot E. Orndorff, CPA sorndorff@sek.com Scott N. Drake, CPA sdrake@sek.com Bottom L-R: Luke C. Martin, CPA lcmartin@sek.com DoriAnn F. Hoffman, CPA dhoffman@sek.com Smith Elliott Kearns & Company, LLC CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS & CONSULTANTS Insight. Integrity. Results. TM