FFB&T Newsroom

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.

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.

Michael Belcher Joins FFBT Family

First Farmers Bank & Trust announced that Michael Belcher will serve as Vice President and Commercial Account Officer at the main office in Converse, IN. “It is with great excitement and optimism that we announce Michael Belcher has joined First Farmers Bank & Trust.  His experience in commercial lending, along with FFBT’s full product line of lending and deposit products, gives us the ability to provide an outstanding bank relationship. Adding Michael to our management and lending staff only furthers our position as one of the leading community banks in Indiana and demonstrates our commitment to Marion and Grant County,” states Tade J. Powell-Vice President and Director of Marketing and Public Relations.

A native to Grant County, Michael graduated from Oak Hill High School in 1985 and went on to study at Taylor University, receiving his bachelor’s degree in Business and Biology in 1990. He resides in Jonesboro with his wife, Lisa, and two children, Bradley, 10, and Lauren, 6.

From 1995-2005, Michael served as Chief Lending Officer at Fidelity Federal Savings Bank. In 2005, he joined Salin Bank & Trust in Marion as Community President, and served there until his move to First Farmers. Michael states, “I have been a banker for the past 13 years, and with my move to First Farmers Bank & Trust, I can truly say I haven’t been a happier banker in years.  In a lot of respects, I feel like I am going home, back to what I feel banking is about. I truly feel that we’re going to make a real difference and be a significant benefit to my home, Marion and Grant County.”  

Michael serves as Board President of the Community School of the Arts in Marion and also sits on the board for the Mississinewa 1812 Battlefield Society and Westminster Preschool. Michael is also a member of the Citizens Advisory Council for Indiana Wesleyan University. He is an active member of Westminster Presbyterian Church and serves as Treasurer of the Men’s Prayer Breakfast. Michael’s extracurricular activities include spending time with his family, fishing, being outdoors, traveling to Alaska, pottery, and water-skiing.