What is your organization, and what does it do?
Pioneer Bank & Trust is a local, family-owned, community bank with a mission to provide quality financial products and services in order to meet the needs of the communities we serve.
How did you get where you are now in your career?
I have been in the banking business for 33 years, with 25 of those years at Pioneer Bank & Trust. I started out at our west side Rapid City branch in 1993 as a loan documentation specialist and loan processor. Since that time, I have held numerous roles in banking and most recently have served as the SVP and Branch Manager for the last 10+ years at our Rapid City South branch.
What are the differences between running an organization in the Black Hills and another area, in your opinion?
I think every geographic location is unique. Here in the Black Hills we have ranching, tourism, Ellsworth Air Force Base, medical, construction, energy and government just to name a few, while other geographical areas may have large manufacturing and industrial focus. The differences in running an organization between geographical areas can be vast depending on many factors including rural vs metropolitan, weather, economic conditions, etc…
How do you feel the world has changed over the time you’ve been at Pioneer Bank & Trust?
The primary change in the financial industry over the past 30+ years would have to be in the area of technology. The things that we are able to do now on our phones was absolutely unheard of even in the early 90s. Having access to online banking through phones and PC’s has really been a game changer as well as simply being able to sit in your living room and purchase products, do banking, etc…all right on your phone. The speed at which checks clear banks now is also much different. Often times, with electronic check clearing, checks clear overnight. When I first started with Pioneer Bank & Trust in 1993, one of my first jobs was to gather all the checks that had been presented the previous day. Then myself and representatives of other banks in town, would all meet at Rushmore Bank and exchange checks. That is how we cleared local checks back then!
What’s the internal culture like at Pioneer Bank & Trust, and how do you feel it compares with similar organizations?
Pioneer Bank & Trust has a very hometown/Western South Dakota feel in each of its branches. I believe our customers genuinely enjoy coming into the bank and engaging in the interactions that come with that. We try very hard to provide exemplary customer service. Decision making is all made at a local level and our turn around times can be very quick if needed.
How does Pioneer Bank & Trust interact with the local community?
The employees of Pioneer Bank & Trust are very active in their communities. Many serve on boards for non-profit organizations, donate their time to dozens of organizations on a volunteer basis, coach youth sports, provide mentorship to school kids as well as donate money on an individual basis to many organizations. Pioneer Bank & Trust also donates significant amounts of money into the communities that we serve. We work hard to give back to our local communities and that is accomplished on both an individual employee and organizational level.
What impact are you looking to leave on the world?
From a professional viewpoint, I would hope that the impact I would leave is that people would know that I genuinely care about people and conducted myself in an honest and ethical manner. I work very hard to build relationships that matter with both customers and co-workers. Being kind and compassionate, whether personally or professionally, would be lasting impacts I would hope to leave.
