Independent Banker - February 2019 - 73

Trailblazer
From natural disaster,
an opportunity
Almost seven years ago, a tornado devastated
West Liberty, Ky. Its community bank,
Commercial Bank, rebuilt a new facility to
high environmental standards and partnered
with organizations around Kentucky to
rebuild the town. By William Atkinson
O
Name: Commercial
Bank
Assets: $137 million
Location: West
Liberty, Ky.
n March 2, 2012, West Liberty, Ky., a community
of 3,200 in the state's coal region, was
hit by a tornado
packing winds of
up to 140 miles per
hour. Eight people
were killed. Most
of the downtown
and 400 homes
were destroyed.
And the town suffered
$50 million in damages. Morgan County,
where West Liberty is located, lost more than
$9 million in residential, farm, commercial and
industrial assessments.
" We had a disaster plan in place, but this
tornado was so destructive that we deviated
from our plan a lot, " says Brock Litteral, president
of $137 million-asset Commercial Bank in
West Liberty. " A lot of our decision-making was
done on the fly. For example, the facility we had
planned to use [if a disaster ever] rendered our
main facility unusable was also unusable. "
The tornado hit West Liberty just before 6 p.m.
on Friday. By Monday, Commercial Bank had
opened up in the lobby of the county library. Without
any computers, the community bank could
only conduct basic cash and check transactions.
" We were able to get backup computers a couple
of days later and operate out of remote facilities so
we could begin doing loans again, " Litteral says.
Damage to the bank's building was so extensive
that it was deemed a total loss. Commercial Bank
decided to build a brand-new facility.
With many buildings in the downtown also
completely destroyed, Commercial Bank wasn't
alone in its predicament. They decided to use this
tragedy as an opportunity for innovation, and
opted to rebuild according to a " green " model
that relied on environmentally friendly building
practices and renewable energy.
A comprehensive strategic planning process involved
local leaders, prominent state nonprofits
and educational institutions like the University
of Kentucky, Morehead State University and the
renewable energy nonprofit Regional Technology
and Innovation Center. Midwest Clean Energy
Enterprise, a consulting firm based in Lexington,
Ky., was selected to lead the effort.
Green shoots
Quick stat
$50
million
Estimated
damage of the
EF3 tornado
that hit West
Liberty, Ky., in
March 2012
Commercial Bank lead the way for West Liberty
by opting to " come back green, " Litteral says.
The community bank designed and constructed
its new facility to meet the U.S. Green Building
Council's LEED Gold standards by incorporating
environmentally friendly features. " Achieving
LEED Gold is a rarity for commercial buildings in
eastern Kentucky, " Litteral adds.
The new facility features a variety of green
touches, such as energy-efficient tinted windows,
roof material designed to deflect heat, water-efficient
landscaping and large amounts of materials
that were either natural or recycled. " The most
significant energy-saving feature, though, is our
geothermal well, " he says. This type of system
uses the earth's natural underground temperature
to heat and cool the building above.
The results are not only aesthetically pleasing,
Litteral says, but are saving the bank money on
energy. " Our electric bills went from about $5,000
independentbanker.org Q 73
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Independent Banker - February 2019

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