FFB&T Newsroom

FFBT Welcomes Several New Employees

Hoyt Alexander came to FFBT after working at Delphi Corporation for 24 years. He has held various positions in the past, consisting of Finance Accountant, Construction Project Manager, Operations Supervisor, and Salary Ergonomics Manager. He is anxious to take on a new position and to get to know everyone at FFBT.

Nancy Ilderton joined FFBT after working at a private Raymond James company where she was a financial advisor. However, she was more interested in a position that was less driven by sales and more detailed oriented. At FFBT, she will serve as Trust Documentation Clerk and will work out of our Peru Square office. She is eager to help people and to be successful.

Sandra Riggs has worked in the banking industry in the Kokomo area for several years as well as in Illinois for a short period. She is now working as a teller in Greentown and is eager to work for FFBT.

Meet the Employees from Recently Merged Central Bank

After much anticipation, the merger between FFBT and Central Bank was completed on Friday December 4, 2009. The offices of Central Bank in Russiaville and Kokomo have become branches of First Farmers Bank & Trust. This merge combines two of the oldest community banks in Central Indiana.

Now that things have slowed down a bit, we wanted to share some information about each employee to let you know a little more about them.

 

Dirk Webster is a lifelong resident of Howard County. He started his career at Central Bank in 1992 as a summer intern teller. Upon graduation from Indiana University in Bloomington, he joined the bank full time. He has held the positions of New Accounts Rep, Auditor, Security Officer, and Mortgage Loan Officer. Dirk is now the branch manager and mortgage loan officer of Kokomo Central.

 

 

 

Don Smith previously served as President and CEO of Central Bank and has been with Central Bank for 22 years. He is a graduate of Ball State University where he received a degree in Business Education. He resides in Kokomo with his wife Karen and they have three children: Ilia, Reid, and Carleton. He is currently working as Vice President and Business Development Officer and works out of the Kokomo Central location of FFBT.

 

 

Judy Brown began working for Central Bank in 1976 as a teller and worked in this area until 1984 when she started working on the loan side of the bank and worked in several capacities. She was responsible for setting up the Credit Card Program for Central Bank and was also, at intervals, responsible for taking employment applications and interviewing those applicants. During the past several years, she also spent a lot of time upgrading loan policies and procedures and implementing a grading program. She is now located at the Kokomo Central office of FFBT as Vice President & Commercial Loan Officer.

 

 Linda Clark is a native of Howard County and was born and raised on a farm in Taylor Township. She started her banking career in 1978 at Central Bank. She now works at the Kokomo Central office of FFBT as Assistant Compliance Officer and is also working in the Internal Audit area.

Ginny Etherington started working for Central Bank 34 years ago as a part-time teller. She has held several positions throughout her career at Central Bank including Secretary for the President and Loan Department, Assistant Cashier, Loan Officer, and Human Resources Officer. She is currently working at the Kokomo Central location of FFBT as Loan Administrative Assistant.

Julie Jones began working at Central Bank in 2001, gaining knowledge in vault balancing and ATM balancing. Prior to working at Central Bank, she spent 18 years at Furrow Building Material where she served as receptionist, cashier, head cashier, and department manager. She is now located at the Kokomo Central location of FFBT where she serves as CSR. Julie resides in Kokomo with her husband, Jerry. They have two daughters, two sons-in-law, five grandchildren, and a pug.

Jill Wittkamper is working as a teller at the Kokomo Central location of First Farmers Bank & Trust after working at Central Bank for two years as a loan secretary in Russiaville and then for one year as a full time teller at the Kokomo location. She lives in Tipton County with her husband of 28 years. She enjoys spending time with her family and is excited to work for FFBT. She enjoys watching the progress of the bank.

Sandy Glassburn is a lifelong native of Howard County. She graduated from Haworth High School and worked for Howard Regional Health System for 23.5 years. She joined Central Bank in 2005 as an Executive Secretary and will serve as Receptionist and Business Development Assistant at the Kokomo Central location of FFBT. She is married and has three children and three grandchildren and currently resides in Russiaville.

Janet Haworth is a life-long resident of Kokomo and started working for Central Bank in 1976. She began as a proof operator and then started working in different teller capacities. She is working at the Kokomo Central office as a teller and is looking forward to working at FFBT.

Anna Sefton has worked for Central Bank for the past 16 years as a teller and Customer Service Representative. She is working at the Kokomo Central branch as a teller and is looking forward to continue to serve her customers.

Terri Britton was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, but has spent the last 29 years in Kokomo. She spent 18 year at First National Bank in the Security/Purchasing Department and joined Central Bank approximately one and a half years ago as Customer Service Representative. She is currently working at the Kokomo Central location of FFBT as a teller and loves every moment at work.

 

 

 

 

Celeste Smith has been working with Central Bank for 6 years, starting in proof and bookkeeping, then moving to loan processing and finally Bank Auditor. She is now the branch manager of the Russiaville office of FFBT. She is a volunteer of the Literacy Coalition in Kokomo and has one child who is a sophomore at Purdue this year.

 

 

 

 

Staci Bitner has worked with Central Bank for over 17 years in a variety of banking areas but her main background is in data processing and IT. She now works in Converse as IT Support and Programming Specialist and is looking forward to new opportunities at FFBT.

Beth Love has been working for Central Bank for the past 6.5 years where her duties included customer service, balancing the federal reserve, serving as vault clerk, processing payroll, and submitting the treasury tax and loan payments. She is still located at the Russiaville office of FFBT where she is a teller. She is married and has two children and enjoys spending time with her family.

Cori Lane began working at Central Bank about one year ago as a teller in the Russiaville office. She is still working in the Russiaville office as a full time teller for FFBT. She holds an Associates Degree in Business.

Nancy Hobson began working for Central Bank 25 years ago. Prior to that, she served with the Russiaville Ambulance Service as an Emergency Medical Technician. She is active in several community services and plays piano and organ at the Russiaville United Methodist Church. She has three children; one is a CPA in Indianapolis, one is a registered flight nurse, and one is a US Army Major. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, knitting, and cooking. She has enjoyed getting to meet several people from FFBT and is looking forward to meeting more. She says that being with First Farmers has been a learning experience and is having a lot of fun in her position as full time teller at the Russiaville office.

Judi Johnson began working for Central Bank 13.5 years ago where she spent 10 years as a teller and 3.5 years in the bookkeeping department. At First Farmers, she will serve as CSR at the Russiaville office. She is married and has one daughter, Danielle, who is attending Ivy Tech and working at Howard Haven. Her husband, Steve, owns Johnson Body Shop in New London. She attends the Russiaville United Methodist Church.

Dale Tetrick comes to First Farmers Bank & Trust after 33 years at Central Bank, where he headed up the Operations and Investment areas, serving as Executive Vice President, Cashier, and CFO. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a concentration in Economics from Earlham College in 1974 and received an MBA with a Finance major from Indiana University-Bloomington in 1976. Dale is serving as Controller at First Farmers Bank & Trust and will be located at the Converse office.

 

Amanda Paul started with Central Bank in June 2009, and before that spent nine years at STAR Financial Bank in a variety of different positions. These positions ranged from Teller, Manager, Loan and Mortgage Originator to Administrative Assistant. She is from Howard County but is working at the Tipton office as a Loan Administrative Assistant.

Pam Lindley has been working in bookkeeping and proof operation at Central Bank for 12 years. She joined First Farmers in October as a full time teller and back up CSR at our Kokomo South office. She is familiar with the Kokomo community as she worked at the Kokomo office and resides in the Kokomo area.

 

Lori Meck

has been working in the banking industry since 1977 where she started at Union State Bank in Kokomo. Her husband is retired from the military and she has worked in banking in Indiana, as well as in New Mexico, Georgia, and North Dakota. She has worked for Central Bank for the past 7 years as Loan Processor, Receptionist, and Assistant to the Secretary. She now works at our Kokomo South office as a part-time teller. She and her husband are natives of Kokomo; both graduated from Northwestern High School and they have three children.

Debby Goodman has been working for Central Bank for the past 7 years at the Kokomo office. She came to First Farmers in October to begin working at our Peru River location as a full time teller. She lives in the Galveston area and is anxious to learn new techniques and to get to know the customers of Miami County.

 

Aimee Smith began working at Central Bank in 2005 as a part time teller, and her previous banking experience includes 10 years at First National Bank & Trust where she worked in the Proof Department, Bookkeeping, and served as an ATM/Online Banking Clerk. At Central Bank, she held positions including teller, vault clerk, and new account representative. She also handled IRAs. She now is working as a full time teller at the Kokomo North branch. She has an Associate’s Degree from Ivy Tech, has been married for 11 years and has two children.

News from the Sheridan Branch

The Sheridan Chamber of Commerce recently held their Annual Dinner at the Palomino Ballroom. During the event, they give an award presented to a community business. For 2009, First Farmers Bank & Trust received the Sheridan Chamber Appreciation Award for Outstanding Dedication and Devotion. We are very excited and thankful to receive this award from the Chamber!

In other Sheridan news, the Sheridan Harvest 5K was held on October 3rd at Biddle Memorial Park. Brian Bragg, branch manager at our Sheridan office, helps to organize this event every year, which runs concurrently with the Sheridan Harvest Moon Festival. The race is open to both walkers and runners and there is also a corporate challenge. In 2008, FFBT won this challenge. Brian and Keith Hill, Chief Financial Officer, participated in the event this year for FFBT. Brian stated, "The 5K had a great turnout this year with 105 runners and was a huge success."

All of the proceeds from the event go to the upkeep of the Sheridan portion of the Monon Trail.

Michelle Boyd is usually a participant in the Sheridan 5K, but she was focused on something else this year: the Chicago Marathon! She ran in the race on October 11th with a time of 4 hours, 29 minutes, and 14 seconds.

FFBT and Employees Participate in Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

First Farmers Bank & Trust participated in a unique event that generated national publicity recently as it partnered with Hallmark Homes and a variety of other vendors to help host ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. FFBT was a monetary sponsor of the event and several FFBT employees donated their time and skills to the project over the course of the 8 day building in Bunker Hill. A number of long hours were spent in poor weather conditions at various activities including food service, painting, cleaning, building, and transporting materials. Participants said it was an incredible experience to witness and be a part of that they would never forget. FFBT is proud of the dedication of staff to volunteer their time and abilities to help such a worthy family. Several FFBT clients also helped in the build, some spending more than 24 hours continuously at the build site. Employees also visited the site throughout the week as spectators and several were able to represent the bank at the wrap up party on Tuesday night.

FFBT Donates to Susan G Komen Foundation and National Lee Denim Day

For the past several years, First Farmers Bank & Trust has supported the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Lee National Denim Day. Employees have the option of contributing funds to the effort in exchange for a casual jeans day. This year, Denim Day took place on Oct 9th and all 18 branches participated. Overall, First Farmers employees raised $1282 and the Bank donated $350 for a total donation of $1632 to be split between the two organizations. The two branches that contributed the most funds were Converse and Culver. Great job!

Cancer awareness and research funding remains an important part of community outreach for the Greentown branch of FFBT. The staff hosts several events throughout the year for supporting Relay for Life including, a Walk, a Motorcycle Ride, and a cookbook sale containing customer & employee recipes. For more information on these events or cookbook order information, please visit our FFBT Facebook page.

Order Your Relay for Life Cookbook Today to Support Greentown's Efforts

The Greentown Branch employees are proud sponsors of “Relay for Life”. The American Cancer Society “Relay For Life’ represents “ The hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those facing cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated.”

Wherever you look, it seems that someone has been touched by this devastating disease. Whether it be a loved one, a friend, or neighbor we all know someone who is struggling to survive, or has been taken from us, by this deadly disease. Cancer does not discriminate. Whether you are a child or adult, healthy or unhealthy, Cancer doesn’t care. “Relay For Life” has always been a special project for the Greentown Branch but even more so this year. This time it struck the FFBT family in Greentown, not once but twice. Thanks to regular screenings, ½ of all new cancer diagnosis can be prevented or detected early.

The true spirit of our dedication and passion for “Relay For Life” can be seen in our fund-raising efforts in the past 11 years. Our fundraising efforts have grown from bake sales and lunches to motorcycle rides, a community walk, and cookbooks. Our goal is to raise as much money as possible to help with the Fight For a Cure!!! This cookbook is just another example of our community coming together to support one another!

To order a cookbook, which is filled with 164 recipes of appetizers, desserts, and beverages, contact the Greentown branch at (765) 628-3309. Each cookbook is $10, with all proceeds going to benefit Relay for Life, and all recipes were submitted by Greentown customers and employees.

Ken Perkins' Wife and Daughter To Act in the Wabash Area Community Theater Production of 'Anything Goes'

Ken Perkins, FFBT Vice President and Senior Commercial Lender, has talented family members. His wife, Beth, and daughter, Emily, will perform in the Wabash Area Community Theater Production of Anything Goes on Oct 9-11 at the Ford Theater Stage of the Honeywell Center. Emily Perkins will be playing Reno Sweeney, former evangelist turned nightclub singer, one of the lead roles. She has performed in many other productions through high school and college. She encouraged her mom, Beth, to audition after a role became open--a member of Reno's group, Reno's Angels.

The show features a lot of Cole Porter's best songs and the show is a light comedy set aboard a cruise ship.

Come see Emily and Beth Perkins perform this weekend at the Ford Theater stage of the Honeywell Center! Showtimes are listed below:

Friday, October 9th: 7:30pm
Saturday, October 10th: 7:30pm
Sunday, October 11th: 2:00pm

Tickets are available at the Honeywell box office or by calling (260) 563-1102.

FFBT's Ken Perkins Speaks at Midwest Pork Conference

First Farmers Bank and Trust, Sr. Commercial Lender, Ken Perkins recently spoke to industry representatives and producers at the Midwest Pork Conference at the Hendricks County Conference Complex in Danville, Indiana. The conference, hosted by Indiana Pork, hosted over 300 attendees and is the premiere regional event in the industry. Ken’s topics included necessary communication strategies to implement when examining the economic viability of agricultural lending relationships. Ken spoke on suggested practices that should be employed by pork producers in cooperation with the lenders and the long term practices that will help those producers better analyze the profitability and costs associated with their operation.

FFBT Wins 4th Overall at the Corporate Challenge

Each year, First Farmers Bank & Trust participates in the Miami County Corporate Challenge. The mission of the Corporate Challenge is to promote a community-wide commitment to health, fitness, and wellness activities. This is accomplished through the planning and execution of a series of events and opportunities for the corporations and businesses in the Peru/Miami County area. The YMCA encourages all companies in Miami County to compete, cheer, and support the team as one. First Farmers Bank & Trust has four branches in Miami County, with participants from each branch.

 

FFBT had 4 bowling teams in the Mixed Men’s and Women’s Bowling event. The teams were as follows:

 

Team 1 – Crystal Scales, Steven Cecil, Vicky Pickering, and Brandt Downing
Team 2 – Julie Cain, Ruth Glassburn, Dave Eikenberry, and Steve Wilson
Team 3 – Carol Savage, Suzanne Arnold, Bruce Savage, and Craig Langley
Team 4 – Amy Million, Greg Million, Amanda Frey, and Paul Maish.

 

We also had a team in the Fishing Derby, which consisted of Pam Camden and her family. They won first place in this competition, as they have the past 6 years in a row! We had 36 employees and family members who participated in the fun walk, which is a 2 mile walk at your convenience. In the 1.6 Mile Race, we had Suzanne Arnold as a participant and 3rd place winner. We also won 6th place in the Cornhole competition, which included Melody Ringeisen and Theresa Bond. Ron Douglas is always a participant in the Racquetball event and won 3rd place this year.

FFBT won 4th place overall! Go Team FFBT!

FFBT Sponsors the Successful Jim 'Moose' Carden Kid's Fishing Clinic

For the past 5 years, First Farmers Bank & Trust has sponsored the Jim ‘Moose’ Carden Kid’s Fishing Clinic in Kokomo, IN. Bart Alexander, Vice President and Commercial/Ag Lender with First Farmers, and his family, have been an integral part of this event’s success for the past 14 years. The clinic is a 2 week annual event that teaches children in the area how to fish and gives them the tools to do so. It began in 1983 as the Kokomo Kid’s Fishing Clinic and was headed by Jim ‘Moose’ Carden and John Martino. Carden passed away in 1990, and Martino chose to rename the event in honor of him. Martino is the current chairman of the event. Also sponsoring this event was Zebco, the City of Kokomo, and the Kokomo Park and Recreation Department.

 

This year, the event took place from July 13th-July 25th and 135 kids participated. During the first meeting, the kids received a rod and reel donated by Zebco and a T-shirt sponsored by First Farmers and Adams Auto Group. The following two sessions began with casting practice in the Kokomo High School Parking lot and followed with various guest speakers. Then the kids were split up by age group and went to two classes each session, with topics including lure presentations, types of rods and reels, outdoor ethics, seasonal patterns, types of bait, and fish cleaning. The sessions ended with “Happy Half Hour” where the kids won various door prizes geared toward helping their fishing experiences. Funds for the door prizes were raised from the Adams Auto Group 6th Annual Jim “Moose” Carden Kid's Fishing Clinic Benefit Bass Tournament which was held in May. During the last session before the big tournament, the kids were entertained by Trick Caster Scotty Lucas, who traveled up from Tennessee with his father to perform at this event.

 

Saturday, July 25th, was the big day of the event, the tournament. Approximately 70 individuals donated their time, their boat, and their equipment to take the kids fishing on the Kokomo Reservoir. Everyone met at the reservoir at 7:00am. John Martino welcomed everyone to the event and expressed the rules and schedule of events, and Mayor Goodnight shared a few words. The kids were out on the water from 8:00-11:00 even though rain showers came through throughout the morning. At 11:00, all of the boats and kids came in to weigh their catch. The Hoosier Open staff weighed each child’s catch and determined who caught the biggest fish in each category. Categories were based on age and were as follows: 6-9 years old, 10-12 years old, and 13-15 years old. The winners for the event were:

 

6-9 years old: Emily Bales, 5 fish, 23 lbs
10-12 years old: Andrew Nearon, 6 fish, 16 lbs
13-15 years old: Camden McGrew, 6 fish 13 lbs

 

In addition to a large trophy, the first place winners also received a rod and reel and a tacklebox donated by Outcasters Bass Club in Indianapolis. As Emily Bales was the overall winner with her 15 lb carp, she also received $25 cash and a certificate from Jeff and Terri Rood of the Hoosier Open. Every child who participated in the tournament received a trophy. After the weigh in, lunch was served to the public, the volunteers, and the kids and parents. Lunch included two hogs, donated by Frank Simpson of Simpsons deer processing in Young America, hotdogs, hamburgers, several sides, and homemade ice cream. Scott Lucas and his father spent the day at the event, helping announce winners and talking to the kids and parents.

More pictures from this event are located in a photo album on our Facebook page.