FFB&T Newsroom

Get to Know...Susan Powell!

We would like for you to get to know Susan Powell, Mortgage Loan Officer and Branch Manager in our Sheridan office. Susan is a native of Tipton where she graduated from Tipton High School. Go Blue Devils! Not only was Susan a Blue Devil, she was also an Indiana Hoosier. She went on to further her education at Indiana University. Susan has been in the banking business for over 37 years. She has enjoyed her move to First Farmers very much because she says there is no other bank with the community atmosphere that First Farmers provides.

Susan and her husband have two daughters and son-in-laws. Her two twin granddaughters are her pride and joy.Just ask her about them and watch her face light up! In her free time, she enjoys flower gardening and being involved in her community. She is a member of the Tipton Extension Center Board as well as the Sheridan Chamber of Commerce Board. And when she is not busy with her family or other commitments, Susan loves to collect antiques, watch the Colts play football, and cheer on the Purdue Boilermakers in basketball and football.

Now you know Susan Powell. Be sure to stop in and visit her the next time you are in the Sheridan area!

Get To Know...Ken Perkins!

Ken Perkins holds the title of Vice President/Senior Commercial Lender of First Farmers Bank and Trust. Ken joined the FFBT team in 2004 after spending 24 years with ADM/Moorman Mfg Co. While at ADM, Ken worked in multiple areas ranging from sales management to Swine Specialist for the Midwest and Northeastern states. Once Ken graduated from Indiana University in 1974, he went on to work for Irving Materials Inc. as manager of the concrete plant.

Ken is very active in his community. He is an involved member of the Wabash Friends Church. He also volunteers for "The Access", a youth activity and ministry center. He serves on the board of directors of the Wabash Community Foundation and Wabash County Economic Growth Council. Not only is Ken locally involved with ministry, he also actively travels to South East Asia where he donates his time and efforts helping local farmers improve their agricultural production.

Ken has served on the Certified Livestock Advisory Board and has spoken on behalf of Pork Producers and Dairymen at various local Board Zoning Appeal hearings. In 2008, he was honored as a "Beyond the Gate" recipient at the Indiana Livestock Forum for his support of the Indiana Livestock Producers.

In his spare time, Ken enjoys tending to his small farm, forest, and stocked ponds. Ken can truly understanding the farming lifestyle because it is so present in his own life. Not only is Ken involved with the typical farming lifestyle, he has also been active in various forms of Aquaculture. This type of industry deals with the cultivating of marine or freshwater food fish or shellfish. For the past few years, his particular focus in Aquaculture has dealt with the spawning and growing of yellow perch and bass.

Ken and his wife, Beth, have been married for 38 years. They have three children and 4 wonderful grandchildren. They currently reside in Wabash, Indiana, where they continue to play an active role in their community. Come visit Ken at our Converse branch today!

Now you know...Ken Perkins! 

Get to Know More about Gene Miles on his Birthday!

Today, the community of First Farmers Bank and Trust would like to wish our President, Gene Miles, a very happy birthday!

            

Gene, the President and Chief Executive Officer of First Farmers Bank and Trust, is a very valuable member of our bank. Gene was a graduate of Purdue University and has been involved in banking for over 30 years. His experience in banking along with his background in agriculture has helped him in leading the bank to the successful position that it is in today. Gene has served in many positions within banking, these would include: 

•   Commercial Loan Officer, 
•  Compliance Officer
• Investment Officer
• Marketing Officer
• Accounting Officer.

This was all before taking his current position of President and CEO of First Farmers, where he oversees the general management of the company as well as managing stockholder and director relations.

Gene is so much more than just an extremely knowledgeable and successful President and CEO of the bank. Hewas raised, like many other farmers, helping on his family's grain operation producingcorn and soybeans, and raising livestock. He and his wife Cheryl are currently residing in Greentown, Indiana where they have raised three children. Gene enjoys his involvement with philanthropic organizations including the Community Foundation of Miami County and Saint Joseph Hospital Board of Directors. Gene loves tennis and really enjoys watching his daughter participate in collegiate tennis. He is very active in the lives of every employee that works at this bank as well.

Gene is more than just the President and CEO of the bank, he a friendly and caring reminder of what First Farmers is really about, state of the art banking, with oldfashioned customer service!

 

 

1st Quarter Employee Updates

Anniversaries

Lorinda Fuller celebrated her 25th Anniversary with the bank on Friday, March 2nd.  She works in the bookkeeping department, where's she's been since 1987.  Her department had a party for her in Converse to celebrate her years of success with the bank.  Congratulations Lorinda! 

Don Smith celebrated his 30th Anniversary in banking, starting at Central Bank, before coming to FFBT in 2009.  He took over for his father as President & CEO of Central Bank in 2005 and is now an integral part of the FFBT team.  Congratulations, Don!

Janet Layman celebrated her 25th Anniversary with FFBT on February 2nd.  She has been with the bank since 1987 and started as a teller, before moving into the loan department.  Janet said, "At one time, we only had one computer for the loan department and two people!" She is happy to work with such a great team of employees and has enjoyed seeing the many changes in the bank's history.  Congratulations, Janet!

 

Retirement

Vikki Sutton retired on March 30th after several years in banking.  Several years before she started at FFBT as a teller, she was Branch Manager at Citizens National Bank in Tipton, IN.  She will miss her bank family, but is looking forward to spending time on the lake, golfing, and in Florida.  Congratulations Vikki, and enjoy retirement!

Recognition & Awards

Karen Symons received the Outstanding Employee Award for 4th Quarter of 2011 and was presented with a trophy.  This is not the first time Karen's been nominated for the award as she has proven to be a dedicated, hard-working team member!  As part of Karen's nominations, it stated that she goes above and beyond for her mortgage customers by making herself available when they are available and really listening to the needs of her customers.  She is a great officer to work for, very considerate, and always willing to help.  She is very supportive of the Greentown community and helps at various community events and fundraisers.  Congratulations Karen!  We appreciate all you have done and continue to do!

Danielle Binkley and Darlene Posey were given the Outstanding Service Awards for 2011.  Danielle came to FFBT through the acquisition of the Knox branch in 1996, but has been working at that branch for 22 years.  She is now the Assistant Branch Manager/ISR/Back Up CSR and was nominated for the award because of her passion for outstanding customer service, both to customers and her fellow employees.  Thank you Danielle!  Darlene is the CSR at our Elwood branch and has also been with the bank for 22 years.  Darlene was nominated for this award because of her many years of excellent customer service for both customers and employees.  Thank you Darlene!

New FFBT Members This Quarter

In the 1^st Quarter of 2012, we welcomed a few new employees at our various locations!  Be sure to welcome them when you see them!

Lindsay Bowers joined FFBT as a part-time teller and receptionist and will be traveling to our many branches.  She came to the bank with around seven years of experience in banking and customer service and after a time away from banking, it excited to return and meet the customers in her area.

 

Melissa Nufrio joined FFBT as a part-time teller in Sheridan.  She has several years of experience in customer service and is very involved in her community as a case worker.  She attended Ball State University and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice.

 

Marla Krulik joined FFBT as a part-time teller in Knox.  She has over 10 years in experience in customer service, sales, and supervising.  In her free time, she assists with the Pop Warner Organization and is very familiar with the Knox community.

 

 

Arielle Anderson joined FFBT as a part-time teller in Knox as well.  She has a few years of experience in cash handling and customer service.  She was president of her class and her 4-H Club for five years and has played an active rold in 4-H for many years.

4th Quarter Employee Updates

The 4th Quarter of 2011 was a busy year for employee promotions, transfers, educational advancements, and retirements.  Most recently, Jennifer McConahay made the move to become a Mortgage Lender for the Converse and Marion areas.  She's been working in the mortgage department in Converse for a little over a year and is excited about her new position!

 

 

Melody Scalf has decided to take an open position in the Internet Banking Department.  This is a recent change for Melody, who started as a Mortgage Loan Clerk at the bank over 2 years ago, and she's looking forward to helping customers with their Internet Banking and eStatement questions and needs!

 

 

Ben Barnett has been promoted to Loan Review Specialist in Converse to take over for Linda Rodgers following her retirement.  He started with the bank a little over a year ago as a Teller at the Peru River branch.  He graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and is looking forward to learning more about his new position.

 

 

During the summer, Paul McCann attended and graduated from the Indiana Bankers Association's Commercial Lending School.  The program takes place at the IBA's Center for Professional Development and each IBA education program is carefully designed under the direction of experienced bankers, academicians, regulators, and industry consultants. 

 

 

At the end of the year, two employees decided to retire from the bank after many years of service.  Carol Ploughe retired on December 2nd after over 38 years of service.  During that time, she held various positions and played an integral role in the bank's success.  At retirement, she was serving as the IRA Specialist for all of our locations.  We are very thankful to have such a person as part of our team for so long and we appreciate everything she's done during her time here.  Her retirement party wa held on December 2nd and many stopped by to say congratulate her.  Carol is excited for her retirement, but said she would miss seeing all of the friends she's made on a daily basis.

 

 

And just last week, Linda Rodgers retired from FFBT after over 33 years in banking.  She has worked for several different banking institutions over the years and has gone through three mergers.  Linda has held various positions over the years including Mortgage Officer, Branch Manager at the Peru River Location, and most recently, Loan Review Specialist in Converse.  She is looking forward to being more involved in different activities and has enjoyed working with everyone in the community and at the bank.  Her retirement party was held on December 22nd in Converse and many stopped by to see her on her last day.

New Faces at FFBT!

In the 4th Quarter of 2011, we welcomed several new employees at our various locations.  Learn a little more about them below!

Charisse Johnson is the new Branch Manager and Mortgage Loan Officer in Elwood.  She has over twenty years of experience in lending & banking.  Charisse has held various titles with other financial institutions, such as Personal Banker, Branch Manager, Account Executive, and Loan Officer.  She is looking forward to starting her career with FFBT and getting to know members of the community.

 

 

Jarrod Smith has filled the position of Customer Service Representative and Teller at the Wabash branch.  He is a graduate of the Indiana Institute of Technology and is looking forward to beginning his career in the banking industry.

 

 

Britney Parsley is the new Customer Service Representative and Teller at our Kokomo North branch.  She came to us with several years of experience in banking.  She is involved in many different local organizations in Howard County and grew up in the area. 

 

 

 

Faith Plank has accepted the position of Customer Service Representative in Greentown.  Faith is attending Ivy Tech Community College, where she has already obtained an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration.  She is looking forward to getting to know her coworkers and customers in Greentown! 

 

 

 

Amy Williams is a new Teller at the Tipton location.  She might seem like a familiar face because she has been with us in the past.  Amy worked for FFBT as a Teller at the Tipton branch from 1999 to 2004, and decided to stay home and raise her family.  Amy is excited to be back at the bank, and we are glad to have her! 

 

 

Amanda Larmer is a new float teller.  She travels to our South and Central branches as needed and is currently helping to open accounts at our Kokomo South branch.  She comes to us with around 7 years of experience in customer service, sales, and cash handling and is from the Galveston area. 

Alex Ringeisen Wins Local Art Competition

10 Year Old Alex Ringeisen, the son of FFBT Amboy Branch employee Melody Ringeisen, was recently chosen as the winner of a Holiday Banner Art Competition in his age group.  He was presented with an award on November 16th from Mayor Jim Walker at the Honeywell Center and the winning banners are now on display on the lightpoles throughout downtown Peru.  The Honeywell Center only chose 16 art pieces in all of Miami County! Congratulations Alex!

It's Customer Appreciation Week at Greentown!

This week (Sept 6-9) is Customer Appreciation Week at our Greentown branch.  Join them for refreshments and the chance to win prizes throughout the week.

Tuesday: Coffee and Danishes, with Soda in the afternoon

Wednesday: Coffee, Cookies, and Soda

Thursday: Coffee, Lemon Bars, and Soda

Friday: Nachos with your choice of salsa, cheese, or chili, Brownies, Coffee, and Soda

Each customer that comes in will given 2 tickets for a chance to win FFBT logo items, a gas card from Huck's and a gift card from Cracker Barrel!

 

Thursday Weather Closings

*UPDATE: Starke and Tipton Counties have lifted their Level 1 Emergency status and the branches will be opening as soon as they are able to get into the branch.

All 20 First Farmers branches are now OPEN. Thank you for your patience as we've had to accomodate to the winter weather.

Tipton, North Judson, and Knox are closed today due to the Level 1 Emergency status. We'll keep you posted as the levels in these counties are lifted.