FFB&T Newsroom

Jeffrey Cole Bennett, son of Greentown’s Tammy Bennett Graduates from Basic Training

Jeffrey Cole Bennett, son of Jeff and Tammy Bennett, recently graduated from the Great Lakes Naval Recruit Training Command at Great Lakes, IL. Bennett was instructed in Naval history, Naval protocol, shipboard damage control, firefighting, physical training, and firearms during his eight weeks of basic training. During his training, Bennett also qualified as a sharpshooter and will spend 11 weeks studying information technology at Pensacola Naval Base.

Bennett is a 2008 graduate of Eastern High School, and his mother, Tammy, works at the Greentown branch of First Farmers Bank & Trust.

New Officer Additions

In November, First Farmers Bank & Trust welcomed a new addition to the Loan Department in Converse: Michael Murphy. Michael will serve as a Loan Operations Specialist and Assistant Vice President of Commercial and Agricultural Lending at the Converse office. Before coming to the bank, Michael spent 7 months deployed in Iraq, serving in the Marine Corps Reserve. He is currently attending Indiana University-Kokomo, majoring in Finance, and expects to graduate within the next year. He is excited to be a part of the First Farmers Lending Team and looks forward to learning as much as possible. He grew up in Greentown, and currently resides in Kempton with his wife Sara.

Also in November, First Farmers Bank & Trust welcomed Jeff Rodibaugh to the Lending Team in Converse. Jeff will serve as Commercial Account Officer and Assistant Vice President. His previous work experience includes seven years as an Agricultural Engineer and Environmental Consultant with Livestock Engineering Solutions, Inc. where he served as a consultant and current environmental issues specialist to livestock producers and local lawmakers in every region in Indiana. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Purdue University, specializing in Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering. Jeff grew up on a diversified grain and purebred swine operation in Rensselaer, and currently resides in Tipton with his wife Amber and their two young children.

First Farmers Bank & Trust’s Recognition Awards

At the end of each quarter, First Farmers Bank & Trust awards employees who are committed to making First Farmers the very best. The award acknowledges employee contributions that have exceeded the expectations for performance throughout each quarter. These employees are nominated because they go above and beyond what is expected of them, while at the same time maintaining a high level of performance toward their regular work activities. These recipients can be nominated by any other employees throughout the bank, and the recipient for each quarter receives two paid days off.

In order to nominate a fellow employee, the person submitting the nomination must turn in a form to the Human Resources Department that outlines the ways in which the employee demonstrated the criteria throughout the quarter. Once all nominations have been received, Human Resources analyzes each nomination, and together, they decide who the recipient will be. 

Sharon McGibbon, Steven Cecil and Lanita Ferre have all been recipients of the award this year, and all seem to have one thought in common: A seemingly small thing can make tremendous differences! Small things include commitment, persistence, and additional action to whatever task or activity they undertake because they were aware of the possibilities that occur if they apply a small amount of effort beyond what is normally done. It is through these actions that they were nominated and chosen.

Over the summer, a Caring Heart award was given to Ashley Howell. Ashley received this award because she helped a young man with special needs find his grandparents when they were separated at the Howard County 4-H Fair.

Check back in January to discover who the fourth quarter winner is!

New Employee Additions

First Farmers Bank & Trust has recently welcomed several new employees:

Jesse Collins has recently been hired as a teller at our Peru River office. Jesse brings customer service experience from her recent employment at Beacon Credit Union. She thoroughly enjoys interacting with others and is excited to learn more about banking operations. Please stop by our Peru River location to welcome Jesse to First Farmers Bank & Trust.

Donna Graf joined First Farmers as a part-time teller at our Kokomo North office. She has over 20 years of experience in sales, customer service, recordkeeping, and administrative assisting, and has worked as a cashier and receptionist for Kokomo Chrysler Inc. for the past 16 years. She is excited to learn about the financial and banking industry.

Angel Stickler joined First Farmers as a part-time teller at our Elwood office. She brings experience in customer service, which she gained through previous employment with Plastech, where she served as secretary, and with King Systems and Wal-Mart. Angel is eager to learn about operations at First Farmers Bank & Trust.

Kayla Ballard joined First Farmers as a part-time teller at our Peru River office. She brings experience in customer service which she gained from previous employment with Kroger and Beef O Brady’s. She looks forward to learning more about the financial industry and plans to begin her college career in the near future.

Cheryl Crouch joined First Farmers as a full-time teller at our Sheridan office and also works as a part-time receptionist at SCI Leasing, located in our Sheridan office. Her previous employment includes Freedom Mortgage/Irwin Mortgage where she worked as a Team Leader and as a Document Recovery Specialist. She enjoys a challenging work environment and is eager to learn about both First Farmers and SCI.

Susan Reynolds joined First Farmers as a part-time teller at our Wabash office. She has previous customer service experience from working as a Communications Specialist and Payroll Administrator with Wabash Alloys. Currently, she also operates a part-time bookkeeping service and has worked as a teller in past work experiences. She looks forward to the opportunity to interact with clients and help them meet their needs.

First Farmers Bank & Trust Sponsors Second Annual Sheridan Harvest 5K

On Saturday, October 11th, approximately 150 runners gathered for the 2nd annual First Farmers Bank & Trust Sheridan Harvest 5K. The race began at 8:30am at the Biddle Memorial Park with an awards ceremony following at approximately 9:45am. First Farmers Bank & Trust’s running/walking team won 1st place in the Corporate Challenge! Other participants in the challenge were JBS United, Sheridan Schools, Tipton Schools, Price Heating, and Sheridan Health Care. In the individual races, Bob Bragg of Noblesville came in 1st place, winning $100, James Harris of Indianapolis, coming in 2nd, won $75, and Eric Smith of Indianapolis won $50, coming in 3rd. Gift certificates were given for winners in different age divisions.

The DAG System, which measures start and end times through the use of a chip was used for scoring. A chip is attached to each runner’s bib number, providing reliability and convenience. Shirts were given out at sign-up to all participants.

The race was organized by Karen Biddle, Julie Willet, and FFBT branch manager Brian Bragg. Like last year, First Farmers Bank & Trust was a major sponsor of this event, along with Clarian North Medical Center, Riverview, JBS United, Body One, and Railer’s IGA. The race was promoted by Ken Long & Associates, who also promotes the Indy 500 mini-marathon. Proceeds from the race will be used in the maintenance and expansion of the Monon Trail in Sheridan, and proceeds will also be used to help purchase food items for Mama’s Cupboard, a program sponsored by the First United Methodist Church in Sheridan that acts as a local food pantry for those in need.

Last year, at the 1st annual 5K, there were approximately 200 participants and the winner of the corporate challenge was Sheridan Schools.

First Farmers Bank & Trust Holds Annual Golf Outing

At FFBT’s annual golf outing held on Thursday, August 28th, 25 teams, or 100 players total, competed. There were 19 FFBT employees that played and about 10 other employees that volunteered their time to help out. Lunch, donated by Subway, was served at noon, and players enjoyed free range balls and practiced their putting on the putting green. Before the shotgun start at 1:00pm, the putting contest began and only five players finished Round One. Round Two was completed after the outing. After a few instructions and a thank you to the sponsors, the groups were off to their specific starting hole, with only one cart losing their clubs upon take off!

After loading up, the two beverage carts headed out in their different directions and the hole-in-one witnesses headed out to their prime spot on the edge of the green on hole #3 (the prize was a Ford Edge). Beth Tilley and Julie Cain were busy with the beverage cart, as well as handling text and phone orders. Dave and Gene were busy trying to help teams in other ways. Dave helped with his golfing ability, and Gene passed out prizes. They also made the rounds with one of the beverage carts.

While out on the course, many “cheers” and “darns” could be heard as putts, drives, and chips were either made or missed. An occasional "Ahh" was heard as well when deer passed over the fairway. Then there was Craig Langley, breaking his glasses on the second hole and trying to drive a ball that somehow never left the tee. He did comment that his golf game was pretty much the same as always, even with one lens missing. With the big straw hat and short putter on Jerri Powell's team, Jennifer Van Horn’s birdie putt with a pink ball, and the Hauperts with their Snicker bar obsessions, all players seemed to enjoy a great time and great weather.

Though they all gave a valiant effort, no team was able to beat Rod Yundt's group from TNT. Rod's team pulled out and shot the lowest score. As one player so nicely put, "A bad day on the golf course still beats a great day in the office."

Raymond James Ranks Highest in J.D. Power and Associates 2008

Full Service Investor Satisfaction Study

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE-RJF) ranked highest in investor satisfaction according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Full Service Investor Satisfaction Study^SM. The ranking, according to Ron Douglas, a CTFA and Registered Principal at the Raymond James Financial Services Peru Square office, is really a tribute to the firm’s focus on putting client interests first, a long-standing Raymond James principle.

The study measures overall investor satisfaction with full-service investment firms based on six factors (in order of importance): investment performance; financial advisor/broker; commissions and fees; account setup/account offerings; convenience; and account statements. The study also measures investor satisfaction within three investor portfolio types: affluent investors (those who have $1 million or more in investable assets); mass affluent investors (between $100,000 and $999,999 in investable assets); and mass market investors (less than $100,000 in investable assets).

Raymond James ranked highest in investor satisfaction with a score of 831 on a 1,000-point scale, receiving the highest ratings from investors in all six factors and performing particularly well in proactively contacting investors.

“We are extremely pleased to have received this recognition from investors,” said Raymond James President and COO Chet Helck. “It’s no secret that this has been a particularly challenging year for the financial markets and our industry. To be so positively rated by investors during such difficult times speaks to the overriding importance every one of our associates puts on meeting clients’ needs, as well as to Raymond James’ conservative management style and commitment to prudent financial planning.”

The study is based on responses from 4,528 investors who primarily invest with one of the 19 firms included in the study. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of investors surveyed in April and May 2008.

“While we are certainly committed to clients at the corporate level and work to provide advisors with diverse products, wide-ranging services, and high-quality technology and back office support, at the end of the day it’s the personal relationships clients have with their advisor and his or her team that are the ultimate test of investor satisfaction,” added Helck. “While all of our associates are responsible for this achievement, I’d like to especially thank the advisors and associates within our 2,200 affiliated locations for the hard work and dedication this award recognizes.”

About Raymond James
Raymond James Financial (NYSE-RJF) is a Florida-based diversified holding company providing financial services to individuals, corporations and municipalities through its subsidiary companies. Its three wholly owned broker/dealers (Raymond James & Associates, Raymond James Financial Services and Raymond James Ltd.) and Raymond James Investment Services Limited, a majority-owned independent contractor subsidiary in the United Kingdom, have a total of more than 4,900 financial advisors serving approximately 1.8 million accounts in more than 2,200 locations throughout the United States, Canada and overseas. In addition, total client assets are approximately $212 billion, of which $35.8 billion are managed by the firm’s asset management subsidiaries. 

About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The firm’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually.

Dick Schaffhausen Inducted into the Ole Olsen Hall of Fame

Dick Schaffhausen, financial advisor for Raymond James and member of FFBT’s brokerage department in Peru, was recently inducted into the Ole Olsen Hall of Fame. Peru has an Ole Olsen Memorial Theatre, which is in honor of the famous John Siguard Olsen. Ole Olsen was known for making people laugh with his famous Broadway shows. He was born in Peru in 1892 and died in 1963, after much success. Dick has appeared in 20 productions, directed 5 shows, and helped to design and build 36 sets in the 14 years of involvement with the memorial theatre.

He originally volunteered to help with building sets or working backstage. Dick states, “I thought, ‘Well, I’ve gone to some Ole Olsen plays and I’ve enjoyed them, maybe I would be able to do something backstage since I didn’t have any stage experience.”

Eventually, after some hesitation, they talked him into reading some lines for a part, and he got it! Since then, Dick has not only been involved in performing, but also joined the Board in 1995, later becoming President. He joined the Board because he really loved the organization and wanted to be more involved. “I’ve been in a lot of plays, mostly because with community theatre, there always seems to be a hard time getting men on stage. I’ve been on the Ole Board and feel I have an obligation to help out by being in a cast...Apparently, I must be doing something right because the audience doesn’t throw tomatoes when I’m on stage!”

One of the reasons for Schaffhausen’s years with Ole Olsen is camaraderie and family-type atmosphere within the organization.

“The nice thing with Ole is that we welcome new people to come in, and even when they’re gone for a while, when they come back, they’re still part of that family,” continued Shaffhausen. “I hope that never changes. Even if someone doesn’t want to be on stage, there’s so much more they can do backstage like props, costumes, sets, sounds, and lights. It’s a good organization. That’s why I’ve stayed.”

Some of the upcoming shows are as follows: “See How They Run”, “Crimes of the Heart”, and “Suitehearts”. If you are interested in purchasing tickets, call (765) 472-3680.

Employees on the Go

Brandt Downing was promoted to Vice President and Commercial Loan Officer. He joined First Farmers Bank & Trust as a Loan Operation Specialist in 2005 after graduating from Hanover College. He worked closely with loan officers and management and assisted in new employee training. His new position will make him the officer of contact for many existing loan customers.

Lanita Ferre has been promoted to the teller float position in our North Central branches. She joined First Farmers Bank & Trust as a teller in 2003 and worked primarily out of Wabash. She will be able to take her experience as an Internal Support Representative and Customer Service Representative as she travels to our other branches. She is excited to be able to travel and gain a better understanding of how First Farmers Bank & Trust branches operate.

Chris Maroney has been promoted to President of SCI Leasing Company at our Sheridan location. Previously, Chris served as Vice President, where he generated leases and acted as Interim Administrator. He now holds all administrative responsibilities and has been associated with SCI Leasing since June of 1996. Before coming to SCI, he worked at a finance company. Chris believes that the key to success is by measuring how well those who work for you perform.

Larry Miller, branch manager of our Culver location, retired after almost 40 years in the banking industry. On September 26th, the Culver branch invited the community and Larry’s family to a retirement party for Larry. They decorated his office and lobby and brought in a cake. The staff at First Farmers thanks Larry for his dedication throughout his career and wishes him the best.

Chad Van Herk was promoted to Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager of the Culver office following Larry’s retirement. He joined First Farmers Bank & Trust as Assistant Branch Manager in 2006. Before joining First Farmers, Chad was a Senior Personal Banking Representative at Bank Atlantic in Florida.

Ron Douglas Selected Best Financial Advisor by Readers of the Peru Tribune

Earlier this year, the Peru Tribune held its 2008 Reader's Choice Awards, which allows its readers to vote on their Peru favorites from Favorite Restaurant to Favorite Bank. Ron Douglas, a CTFA and Registered Principal for First Farmers Bank & Trust's Wealth Management Group, received the Reader's Choice Award for Best Financial Advisor. The staff at First Farmers Bank & Trust congratulates Ron on this achievement and shares in his excitement. Please take a moment to congratulate Ron by stopping in or by calling our Peru branch.