Independent Banker - June 2020 - 44

PRESIDENTS & CEOS /// By Roshan McArthur
LEADERS WHO ARE PUSHING THE ENVELOPE
Being the youngest person in the room has its challenges, but these young leaders bring a fresh perspective
to their community banks.
t age 38, Sarah Getzlaff has already been CEO of
Security First Bank of North Dakota in Bismark, N.D.,
for two years. The third-generation banker laughs when
she recalls how she got her start. " One day when I was
14, they needed help, so my dad literally woke me up
one morning and said, 'Put a dress on, we need you at
the bank.' " Looking back, Getzlaff attributes much of her
A
success to her father's influence.
" Working my way from the very bottom to the top
has really allowed me to gain credibility within my own
organization, " Getzlaff says, though she admits that there
have been a few instances where her age and gender have
been called into question.
" I know when I've considered joining committees or
been at other meetings, I've
had some comments like,
'Oh, you'd be really good
on this committee, but how
old are your kids?' "
Peter Stenehjem,
president of First
Books that inspire me
PETER STENEHJEM,
FIRST INTERNATIONAL
BANK & TRUST
1. Make Your Bed
International Bank & Trust
in Watford City, N.D., is a
fourth-generation banker,
getting his start 20 years
ago at 15. Like Getzlaff, he
credits his father.
" My dad has been
very forward-thinking
throughout his career and
is still our chairman and
CEO, " Stenehjem says. " His
by Admiral William
McRaven
2. First, Break All
the Rules: What the
World's Greatest
Managers Do
Differently by Marcus
Buckingham
quote is always, 'I'll give you enough rope to hang yourself.'
So, basically, he's allowed my brother [Erik] and me to
make decisions and push for the boundaries of what we've
traditionally done as a community bank.
" I'm getting pretty used to being the youngest person
in the room, " laughs the 35-year-old. " When I was in
high school and college, my dad brought myself and my
brother along for challenging conversations, either with an
employee or a customer. "
Brent Smith of LINKBANK in Camp Hill, Pa., entered
the community banking world in a very different way and
credits a great team for his success. His small team of
Peter Stenehjem, 35
President
First International Bank & Trust
/// Watford City, N.D.
/// A fourth-generation banker overseeing
28 branches, Stenehjem is deeply invested
in his community and has spearheaded
considerable expansion at his family's
community bank. Under his supervision,
the bank made its first nonbank acquisition:
Kotapay, an electronic payments processor.
44 Q ICBA Independent Banker Q June 2020
key investors with backgrounds in banking and finance
purchased a charter that was " really small and had
some credit issues, " he says. They turned it into a highly
successful community bank of which he is now president at
the age of 37.
Asked what challenges have come with early success,
Smith says, " I've gone through a transition personally of
accepting that I don't have the tenure that other people do.
For a while, I tried to prove that I could compensate for
that, but I've had to own in a humble way that I don't know
some things. "
Making connections
Andrew Pyles, 39, took a more circuitous route to his
current role as president and CEO of Eclipse Bank in
Louisville, Ky. He previously worked in a large community
bank, where he took a leadership position in a smaller
rural market, before returning to Louisville and being
promoted from within Eclipse Bank.
Pyles has noticed certain advantages to his age. " I joke

Independent Banker - June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Independent Banker - June 2020