Independent Banker - December 2017 - 7

From the Chairman
By Scott Heitkamp, chairman of ICBA
Closing out a
momentous year
A
s I look back at 2017, my mind immediately
rewinds to August and September,
when we witnessed fi rsthand the
devastation of our community due to Hurricane
Harvey and the devastation of communities in
the paths of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
It was one tough hurricane season, to say the
least. Whenever I think of it, my heart sinks
for all those affected, including my own staff,
customers and family. However, I'm quickly
reminded of the wonderful calls I received from
community bankers across the country during
those fi rst fateful days. I cannot begin to express
the gratitude I felt to those who reached out-
some of whom I knew and others I didn't-just
to see if I was OK and if I needed anything. This
was a true measure of the lively heartbeat of
community banking. Everyone was there for me,
my bank and my community.
One week after I received such overwhelming
outreach, I was reaching back out to a community
banker who had contacted me the previous week
about Hurricane Harvey. I wanted to see what
I could do to return the favor or to simply offer
support. This is a true refl ection of who we are as
community bankers. The worst times bring out
the very best in our industry. We stand ready to
serve, even in the midst of devastation and chaos,
and are always there to lend a helping hand to fellow
community bankers and their communities.
Community bankers raised $150,000 through
the ICBA Community Banker Hurricane Harvey
Fund, further proof of this generosity of spirit.
This will certainly go down as a highlight of my
chairmanship and my year.
I've also been so touched by the community
bankers I have met in my travels over the
past year. I've been amazed by the number of
generational community bankers-secondand
third-generation community bankers and
advocates who keep community banking in the
family. While our industry is changing, so many
family-owned community banks continue to
thrive. It's really something to be proud of. Our
profession is an honorable one, and it's incredibly
rewarding to see the next generation of community
bankers coming up through the ranks with
the same drive and passion for this industry as
their fathers, mothers and grandparents had.
I'm also blown away by the number of community
bankers who advocated for our great
industry over the past year. We have made so
much progress and are working toward real
results with Congress and regulators. I encourage
you to read this month's story about ICBA's
legislative and regulatory successes on page
23. While we face challenges, you'll see that
community bankers are on the verge of positive
change that will help us serve our communities
for generations to come. That's something to
be thankful for this holiday season, and I'd like
to thank ICBA and all of my fellow community
bankers for a momentous year.
Everyone should close out the year feeling
proud of what they have accomplished for our
industry and America's communities. You have
been difference makers, and I know you will
continue to be difference makers in 2018.
Thank you for all you do as community bankers.
I wish you all a very happy holiday season
and prosperous New Year!
R. Scott Heitkamp is president and
CEO of ValueBank Texas in Corpus
Christi. Follow him on Twitter,
@sheitkamp
independentbanker.org
ICBA Independent Banker 7
http://www.independentbanker.org
Independent Banker - December 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Independent Banker - December 2017
