FFB&T Newsroom

FFBT Holds Annual Ag Client Seminar

On Tuesday, February 24th, approximately 160 agricultural clients and 30 employees gathered at the Roseburg Event Center in Marion to participate in First Farmers’ annual Ag Seminar. These seminars are meant to educate FFBT clients on a variety of different topics as well as provide an enjoyable and relaxing atmosphere.

This year’s seminar began with a brief welcome from Tade Powell, Director of Marketing and Public Relations. Our first speaker of the day was Andy Ambriole, a 2007 graduate of Huntington North High School and recipient of the FFA Star Farmer Award. Andy spoke about his projects on his farm, his use of organic farming, and what it takes to become organic. The next speaker was FFBT’s President and CEO Gene Miles. Gene informed our clients about what our economy and the banking sector is experiencing, explained the TARP program (which FFBT declined to use), and showed how FFBT is dealing with these issues in the industry. Dr. Wesley Jamison, professor of Agricultural Politics at the University of Florida spoke next. Dr. Jamison spoke about the future of agriculture: the trends, issues, and direction that agriculture will take in the coming years, and what farmers need to be aware of now. Before lunch, Damian Mason lightened the mood with some agricultural comedy.

Following a lunch provided by the Roseburg Event Center, Ken Perkins, a Senior Commercial Lender at FFBT, spoke about his recent trip to Laos. Ken spends a few weeks each year teaching Lao citizens about agriculture and farming. He checks in with a few people who are running farms and helps them with any problems or questions they may have. He has helped them grow corn and raise pigs, along with many other products.

Our key note speaker for the afternoon was Dr. Robert Fraley, Chief Technology Officer for Monsanto in St. Louis, MO. Dr. Fraley is known as the father of Round-Up Ready® crops. He spoke about the new technology that Monsanto will be introducing in the next few years and how this technology will be beneficial to farmers. We ended the seminar with a question and answer session with Dr. Fraley and closing remarks from Tade Powell.

Video from this event is available on our Facebook business page and on our YouTube page, both of which are accessible from our homepage at www.ffbt.com. Video will be available on our website in a few weeks. For full coverage, please contact your local FFBT officer or call (765) 395-3316 to request your free copy.

FFBT Contributes to White’s High School Gym Renovation

Recently, First Farmers Bank & Trust, along with others, was honored at White’s High School. In a pre-game ceremony, White’s High School rededicated their newly remodeled gym and unveiled a plaque honoring all contributors. Kathy Jones, branch manager in Wabash, and Dave Eikenberry, Director of Operations, were present during the ceremony.

FFBT Welcomes Travis Hueston

At the beginning of the year, First Farmers Bank & Trust welcomed a new addition to the Trust/Finance Departments in Converse: Travis Hueston. Travis will serve as a Trust Officer and Assistant Controller at the Converse office. Previous work experiences include 6 years as a Trust and Accounting Officer with First National Bank & Trust and Harris N.A. He graduated from Indiana University-Kokomo with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.

Ken Perkins Receives ISA’s Beyond the Fence Award

On December 18th, Ken Perkins, Senior Commercial Lender at First Farmers Bank & Trust, was presented with the Beyond the Fence Award for Outstanding Industry Support during the Livestock Forum at Lucas Oil Stadium.

This award is presented to individuals and organizations that go ‘beyond the fence’ to support Indiana’s livestock industry. According to the Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA), Ken has been a voice of reason for and has served to support the livestock industry at many county meetings throughout the state. Feel free to give Ken a call or stop by the Peru Square branch to help First Farmers congratulate Ken on this achievement.

Celebration of Light

On November 21st, First Farmers Bank & Trust, along with the city of Wabash and the County of Wabash, held and sponsored the annual Celebration of Light on the north courthouse steps. First Farmers Bank & Trust became involved in this event after the event was almost cancelled due to sponsorship issues. Kathy Jones, branch manager at the FFBT Wabash location, announced that she would help sponsor the event, and the Celebration of Light was saved.

This year, Jennifer McConahay, FFBT Customer Service Representative from Wabash, emceed the event, Emily Perkins led holiday carols, Theresa Carroll gave a holiday message, and Bob Vanlandingham, the Mayor of Wabash, talked about the Celebration and began the lighting ceremony. During the ceremony, Bob lit his candle, then proceeded to light the City Counsel’s candles as well. After the whole crowd’s candles were lit, the courthouse Christmas lights turned on above.

After the courthouse was lit, Santa Claus showed up in a fire truck and passed candy canes out to all of the children. According to Kathy Jones, “My biggest thrill of the entire celebration is when I hear the siren of the fire truck bringing Santa to the celebration to see all of the kids.”

First Farmers Bank & Trust and the staff at Wabash enjoy sponsoring and participating in this wonderful holiday event each year, and are already looking forward to next year!

Helping Schools in the Community

Employees at First Farmers Bank & Trust are dedicated to teaching local students in the community. Whether through Junior Achievement, Reading Railroad, or other types of participation, our employees spend time each year teaching students of all ages about personal financing, identity theft protection, credit, the economy, world trade, budgeting, and many other topics.

Junior Achievement is an organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness. It provides a structured curriculum to follow, but also leaves room for volunteers to provide their own experiences. They assign these volunteers to specific classrooms and specific times. Amy Million, Amanda Schmidt, and Jennifer Van Horn all volunteer their time to Peru High School. This year, one topic taught at Peru High School was about career aspirations and the requirements for each position. On the first day of class, the students wrote down what they wanted their career to be. After learning about skills, goals, values, and ethics that are involved in each career, many of the students changed their minds by the end of the course. By breaking down each part of a career, many were able to find a career that they had a significant interest in. Amanda Schmidt, HR Benefits Specialist at our Peru office, states, “This program was very beneficial for the students, especially at this age. Most of these students are at a point in their lives where they are just starting to think about the real world. The hands-on activities and shared experiences from volunteers penetrate their minds and get them to think more in-depth about their future.”

Beth Tilley, Jennifer McConahay, Deb Ploss, Greg Thompson, and Bruce Shanks also volunteer their time to Junior Achievement at schools in the area. Beth has volunteered at Tri-Central High School. The basis of her curriculum was product development. The students were asked to create and name a company, and then come up with a product to market and sell. They were required to make enough money in sales to pay for company operations and the remainder was given to a charity of the students’ choice. They were also asked to elect a President, Vice President, Treasurer, etc for the company and had to set up a bank account to manage their funds. Jennifer volunteers her time at Northfield Middle School, teaching 6th graders about world trade and 8th graders about budgeting. Bruce has volunteered at Knox High School for the past two years. The focus of his curriculum has been on personal finance for junior and senior students. Greg Thompson has volunteered at Liberty Elementary School, teaching 6th graders about economic principles and current economic conditions.

While many employees are volunteers for Junior Achievement, some of our employees, such as Deb Ploss, Joyce Flick, and Jodi Cecil volunteer for other educational purposes. Every month, Deb reads to 1st graders at Galveston Elementary through the Reading Railroad Program. Joyce and Jodi visit Eastern School Corporation several times each year and teach a variety of topics. Most recently, they taught several classes from 7th grade through the senior classes in conjunction with the ABA Education Foundation’s ‘Teach Children About Credit Day’. For the high school students, Joyce and Jodi discussed why credit is important in your life. They also covered what to expect when you open a checking account, and how to protect yourself from identity theft. For 7th and 8th graders, they discussed the Federal Reserve, inflation, and how U.S currency is protected against counterfeiters.

The employees volunteer their time to local schools because they thoroughly enjoy teaching students something that isn’t often taught in a classroom setting. They love listening to students’ ideas and answering any questions that come up. But mostly, they enjoy the looks on students’ faces when they see that something has made sense and that they have learned something new.

First Farmers Bank & Trust Attends Hoosier Heartland Highway Gathering

In late October, Kathy Jones and Doug Wilcox joined several other business members in the area to celebrate the groundbreaking for the last leg of the Hoosier Heartland highway project. This project began in the early 1970s and was headed by Glenn Tanner, Jack Porter, and Phil Magner. After over 30 years of discussions, funding, and construction, the last leg of the project is beginning in Lafayette. Surviving founder Phil Magner was present at the event, along with Jack Porter’s widow Naomi. During the ceremony, Governor Mitch Daniels spoke and broke ground. Afterward, he signed the shovels and gave them to the Magners and Naomi. This project has and will continue to bring new businesses and travelers to the areas between Lafayette and Huntington and will help promote the safety of all those traveling on this highway.

FFBT Sponsors Event Featuring NBA Hall of Fame Member Clyde Lovellette

On September 22nd, First Farmers Bank & Trust sponsored, and Wabash branch manager Kathy Jones attended, a special event held to promote needed gym and pool renovations at White’s Residential and Family Center. What made this event so special was that Clyde Lovellette, former coach and teacher at White’s and also an NBA Hall of Fame Member, was the featured speaker. Lovellette was the first basketball player in history to play on NCAA, Olympic, and NBA championship teams, and during his career scored 11,947 points and grabbed 6,663 rebounds. The evening began with a welcome and prayer from White’s CEO, followed by dinner, and a speech from Lovellette. After dinner, Clyde stayed for a picture and autograph session. His attendance truly made for a great evening, and First Farmers Bank & Trust was proud to sponsor this event.

New Branch in Grant County

First Farmers Bank & Trust (FFBT) recently announced plans to establish its first branch office in Grant County with a commitment for an Executive Branch Office at 828 North Baldwin Avenue in Marion, which is expected to open by the first quarter of 2009.  The branch office, which will be located in the Baldwin Place retail development, is the second FFBT office to be a non-traditional retail space rather than a stand-alone facility.

“The Executive Branch Office model is one that has worked very well for us in Huntington and allows us to be operational in Grant County in a very short period of time,” say Michael Belcher, Vice President and Commercial Accounts Officer.  “Traditional stand-alone buildings can be excellent facilities but the central point of establishing a presence in a market is to provide what best suits the community in both the short and long term.  This operation gives us an immediate presence and allows time to establish a more comprehensive plan for future operations in the area,” he added.

“Marion and Grant County have been on our radar for the better part of 20 years,” says Gene Miles “But you always want to make sure you have the best personnel and product delivery in place before you start entering a new market.”

“With our corporate offices in nearby Converse, we’re confident we can provide a community banking model for the area that clients will appreciate.  This community is very loyal and respects organizations that place a high value on customer service.  We feel that our style of operation fits well in that area, and we’re fortunate to have people working for us that are dedicated to the local community,” adds Miles.

First Farmers Bank & Trust declines Fed “bailout” funding

First Farmers Financial Corporation, the parent company of First Farmers Bank & Trust, announced that the bank will not participate in the government TARP Capital Purchase Program. The board stated that despite economic uncertainty, First Farmers believes their adherence to long held strategies of serving local depositors and borrowers will continue to reward stockholders, customers, and employees and that Bank capital remains significantly above levels designated “Well Capitalized” by regulatory guidelines. The bank continues to generate earnings sufficient to support current and expected dividends, and retains earnings to support future growth expectations.

The board did announce that First Farmers will participate in all available Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Programs allowing customers to benefit from extended FDIC Insurance for all depositors. This includes the increase in coverage to $250,000.00 in FDIC insurance, unlimited coverage of non-interest bearing demand accounts, and guarantee of inter-bank lending facilities