The West Virginia Banker’s Association is proud to introduce the 2024-2025 WVBankers chairman, Travis G. Delaplain. Travis is currently the President and CEO of FNB Bank. With years of thoughtful leadership, a steady demeanor and extensive banking experience, Travis is perfectly suited to lead the Association forward this year.

We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Travis and get to know more about him, his goals as chairman and his thoughts on the industry. The following are excerpts from our conversation.

How did your banking career start?

In 2011, I was an audit manager for Arnett & Foster in Charleston, West Virginia. I had been with the company for seven years and specialized in performing audits for hospitals, community banks and employee benefit plans. FNB Bank, a community bank headquartered in Romney, was looking for a new CFO. They reached out to me and asked if I was interested in the position. I interviewed and accepted the position. In short, my move into banking can be attributed to being in the right place at the right time.

Are there any individuals who had a major impact on your career?

The first that comes to mind is Mrs. Brenda Haines, my high school accounting teacher. She challenged me to learn accounting in a way that ultimately led me to get a degree in accounting from Fairmont State University (FSU).

The second is Glenn A. Harman, CPA, my college accounting professor who employed me in his accounting office while enrolled at FSU. He instilled a great sense of professional work ethic in me.

Last, but not least, the leadership at Arnett & Foster (now Baker Tilly) gave me my first career opportunity where I found great success and led me to where I am today.

What is the best professional advice you have received?

“This too shall pass.” These four words are so important. People have the tendency to have an inflated reality when things are good. When things are bad, they seem to get bogged down. Living in the peaks and valleys is precarious at best and, most of the time, situations are exaggerated in our own mind. It’s wise to remember that this too shall pass — keep a level head, be the calming voice in the room and stay the course.

What is your favorite memory or experience from your career?

While still relatively new in my P/CEO role at FNB Bank, I was selected to serve on the Community Bankers Council of the ABA. This opportunity allowed me to deepen my industry knowledge through interactions with peers from around the country. It also provided deeper insights into the legislative processes in D.C.

What advice would you give emerging leaders in the banking industry?

I encourage patience and understanding because everything cannot be given at once, and working for something creates a deeper level of appreciation. However, I also follow that up with, if an opportunity presents itself, do not let yourself get in the way. Pursue all opportunities presented that may lead you to your professional goals, even when you may have some self-doubt.

In short, be patient with your expectations, but also pursue everything that is put in front of you. Success will follow.

Please tell us about your family, interests and hobbies.

I have been married to my beautiful wife, Amy, for 17 years. We both love everything that West Virginia has to offer and decided long ago that we wanted to work and live here. When I took the CFO position with FNB Bank, we moved home to the Delaplain family farm. We are surrounded by mountains, fields and forests and thoroughly enjoy country living.

We have two children: our son, Deacon, who is 10 — many in the Association know him because of his convention attendance and cornhole prowess — and our daughter, Elliott, who is 6 and an absolute delight.

My family enjoys travel, the beach, camping, board games, youth sports, and Mountaineer football and basketball.

Personally, I am an exercise enthusiast. I have completed Spartan races and many charity runs. I also like to read. I just finished “The Boys in the Boat” and highly recommend it.

Please tell us about your involvement with the community and charitable organizations.

I helped start a local flag football league in late 2020. What began with around 40 kids participating has grown to over 120 kids across multiple divisions. A year in, Amy joined us and started a complimentary youth cheerleading program, which has grown to 85 cheerleaders. Deacon plays club soccer, golf, basketball and baseball, and Elliott does cheer, gymnastics and soccer. I find myself coaching these two most of the time. Youth sports is a passion of mine.

I’m active in the Romney Rotary Club and sit on the board of The River House, a nonprofit that promotes the arts and music in our rural communities. Many art and music programs have been defunded in the school system, particularly ours. It is important that children have exposure to the arts.

What advice would you give someone considering entering the banking industry?

I would start by sharing that there’s more to banking than you see on the surface. Unless you work at a bank, you probably wouldn’t know that. There is so much opportunity to grow in banking/financial services. From insurance and advisory services to accounting and traditional banking services, the possibilities are endless. Banking is a relationship business, whether you are on the front lines or in the back offices, so being able to clearly and compassionately communicate with the public is very important.

What do you think will be some of the dominant trends within the banking industry in the next 5-10 years?

I think we will see more banks being consolidated as well as more players, like fintechs, nibbling at the edges of what have been traditional core banking services.

I have some concerns about smaller banks in rural areas getting left behind in the consolidation, but if the smaller banks are doing what they need to do to stay relevant — maintaining robust in-person banking opportunities and staying up with emerging technologies when appropriate — there is certainly a place for us in the future.

What has been the most rewarding part of your career?

It is very rewarding when our institution provides advice or direction to a customer who then follows said guidance and becomes more financially solid.

A good example of that would be: John and Jane Doe want to buy a house, and they come in with terrible credit, a few judgments and some things they need to clean up. We then educate them on the best ways to clean up their credit. A year later, they come back to the bank, they’re in a better financial position, and we can lend them money for that house.

There is no better feeling than helping customers take ownership of their own financial goals.

How long have you been active in the WVBankers Association?

In August of 2015, I joined the WVBA board and have been serving on numerous committees and in various positions since then.

Why is being a member important?

Our association serves the smallest to the largest banks and everyone in between. Access to education throughout all areas of the bank is provided by the Association, which is important to keep employees trained and banks compliant. Direct access to other members and opportunities to network comes through membership, which helps create strength and comradery. And ultimately, being a unified voice in the state of West Virginia is very important.

What are you looking forward to most during your term as chairman?

We have the goal of expanding the Association staff in Charleston. I also want to meet with as many people in bank leadership as possible. That includes not only presidents of banks but potentially their directors and their senior management team. I see so much value in networking. But my primary goal is to become the industry association of preference when it comes to decision-making in the state of West Virginia. When legislators make a decision that affects the West Virginia economy, we would like for them to think, “We need to reach out to the bankers and get their input.”