Pub. 6 2015 Issue 3

fall 2015 9 West Virginia Banker both in our own state and at the national level, and its membership engagement. My goal for this year is to get the process moving toward those ends. It is something that cannot be accomplished in a one year time frame, but with the cooperation of our membership, we can certainly move the association further along the timeline. How long have you been active with WVBA? In the 1980’s I served a term on the Operations Committee. More recently, I have served on the Board for a total of 12 years, from 2001 – 2004 and from 2006 – present. Our bank has been a member of the association for as long as I have been there. In fact, my predecessor, Mr. Barr, was also a member of the Board for several years. Something else I would like to accom- plish: At the 2016 Convention, the association will be celebrating its 125th anniversary and it will be Joe’s last convention prior to his retirement. For those reasons, along with the initiatives that we will be address- ing over the next year, I think we have much to celebrate, and we are planning a great program to mark this milestone. Therefore, I would like to see the atten- dance for the convention be at its highest level in a number of years. We have all been conservative with our expenditures over the last few years, but this will be a time to remember and honor our past leaders and performance and embrace the opportunity for our future role as a vital industry in West Virginia’s growing economy. Something about me that would surprise fellow bankers: I have been employed by the same bank for my 42 year career, starting as a teller while in college, continuing in various po- sitions in both the operations and lending functions, serving the last 15 years as the President & CEO. What is one piece of advice you would give someone entering the banking indus- try today? I would tell them to prepare for a very rewarding but challenging road ahead. The competition is fierce, the regulatory compliance is exhaustive, and the profit margins have dwindled, but our communi- ty banks are still highly regarded in terms of their contributions to the communities that they serve. Consequently, there is great opportunity for a rewarding and fulfilling career in the banking industry, particularly in the rural areas of West Vir- ginia that are served by our banks. I can say that our bank has been instrumental in growing the communities that we serve, not only by providing financing, but also through community service. Family Ginger and I celebrated our 39th Anni- versary this year. We have three grown children, Brian (wife Amy), Jonathan (wife Aura) and Courtney (unmarried). Jonathan has his own general practice as an attorney in Romney WV and Brian is employed as his office manager. Brian at- tended Fairmont University and Jonathan graduated from Fairmont University and subsequently obtained his law degree from WVU School of Law. Courtney graduat- ed from both Shepherd University with a degree in business and more recently from the Paul Mitchell School of Cosmetology. Brian has two children, Addyson 7, and Chase 5, and Jonathan has a son, Owen 9 mos. At 5 months of age, Owen endured open heart surgery to repair a large hole in his heart, but he has fully recovered and is progressing normally. n