Pub. 2 2011 Issue 3

www.wvbankers.org 10 First Community Bank. The vote of confidence from the Board of Directors and CEO John Mendez was truly grati- fying and deeply appreciated. Having worked my way up through the ranks, so to speak, I felt very fortunate to be named president of the organization to which I had devoted essentially my entire working career. The toughest part of the job: The toughest part of the job is working within the confines of the myriad of regulations that we deal with in the industry to- day. It seems that I, along with most bankers, spend more time on regulatory and compliance issues than we do serving cus- tomers or growing the bank. Those of us who have been in the business for a while know how much more complicated it is to make a loan or even open a checking account than it was just a few years ago. Unfortunately, with the full implementation of the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act, it is readily apparent that the intensity of the over-regulation of the banking industry will only increase. The best advice I ever received: I’m not sure of the exact source but I have always subscribed to the philosophy of, “don’t ask anyone to do anything that you wouldn’t do yourself.” Having the good fortune of doing just about every job in the bank, I believe that I can relate pretty well to most of the employees of the bank. Let’s face it, every- thing that a banker does during the day is not always pleasant, it just is not fun to turn down a loan request or to deal with an irate or disrespectful customer. I believe that it is unfair to ask an employee to do something that you have not done in the past or are not willing to do yourself. Advice you would give young bankers: Do not get discouraged with the media “bank bashing” that has been prevalent in recent years. We all know that tradi- tional bankers had nothing to do with the financial debacle that occurred a few years ago. I believe that the historical track record of traditional banks and their commitment to the com- munities they serve is again being recognized by the American public. It was encouraging to see that a recent Gallup Poll showed a nice pick up in consumer approval ratings for the banking industry. Let’s keep doing what we have always done, taking care of the banking needs of the businesses and indi- viduals in our communities. Something else I would like to accomplish: I have much more that I want to accomplish in my professional career. However, one industry wide initiative that I would like to be a part of is a movement to roll back some of the massive regulation that is being dumped upon the industry. As the regulations spawned by Dodd-Frank start to materialize, we will see mountains of new regulations coming from both our primary regulators and the new CFPB. I believe the WVBA should join forces with the American Bankers Association and other trade organizations to fight against unnecessary and overly burdensome regulations. I would like to be a part of that fight. Something about me not everyone knows: I love to get my hands dirty. I am a true weekend warrior and on Friday afternoons I shed by buttoned down banker persona and dive into a home project. Most bank customers don’t even recognize me when I’m in Lowe’s on Saturday morning in my cargo shorts, tennis shoes, t-shirt and baseball cap. Working with my hands is not only enjoyable, it is also a great stress reliever – plus I’m pretty good at it, at least in my own mind. My wife thinks I try to be an over-achiever, especially at yard work, and I’ve even had threatening calls from neighborhood husbands to dial it back a notch because their wives are pres- suring them to get outside. I’ve heard rumors that I’m known as the “mulch-master” since I put down about three dump trucks of mulch each spring. About my family: Cathy and I have been married for 39 years and were high school sweethearts. Cathy and I have been together my entire working life. She has shared all of the many good times and is my support system when things aren’t so good. We have been blessed with two beautiful daughters, Melissa and Angela, who are both married. Melissa and her husband, David, have two children, Natalie and Nicolas, while Angela and her husband, Mark, are expecting their first child (a boy) in November. Cathy and I are fully immersed in grand parenting and spend every possible minute we can with the grandchildren. Outside interests: In addition to my weekend warrior projects, I also enjoy playing golf. While I can’t say golf is relaxing, it certainly is challenging and I thoroughly enjoy the sport and the beautiful surroundings on golf courses. I am also an avid fan of college football and basketball. While both of my daughters attended Virginia Tech, my heart is in West Virginia so I am also a Mountaineer fan. I’m glad that the Hokies and Mountaineers no longer play each other so I don’t have the conflict pulling for the school that has a significant amount of my money and the one that has my heart. Of course, the number one inter- est that I have outside the bank is that of being granddad – my most enjoyable pastime. Community involvement: I have been involved with many organizations over the years and served on the boards of civic and charitable groups. Cur- rently, I am a Rotarian and a Board member for the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce, and the Bluefield State College Foundation. Q Q Meet Robert L. Buzzo — continued from page 9