Independent Banker - June 2022 - 37

Friends of the community
community banks need to devote
more resources to researching and
planning to meet the needs of their
younger generation of customers. If
community banks aren't there for
them, they will look at alternative
banking services.
Q: What should community banks
have in their tool kit when it comes
to digital banking?
Ruppe: People are so used to Uber
and Robinhood and all these new
cool apps with easy user interfaces. It
doesn't matter how many awesome
products you have; if they're not
user-friendly, they're immediately
out of date. You have to have user
experience as your top priority when
solving problems.
Shangle: The biggest tool that
community banks can use is agility.
When compared with really large
banks, community banks' greatest
strength is knowing their customer.
If they're able to move quickly and
remain agile, then that, combined
with their superior customer
relationships, will enable community
banks to win out the competition.
Rudd: At the very least, every
community bank should have a
mobile banking app with the standard
functions, including online bill
pay and remote deposit. For small
business customers, these options
should include ACH origination
functionality and wire transfer
capability. Online account opening
and faster payment options such
as Same Day ACH and FedNow are
also services that community banks
should seriously consider investing in
if they haven't already.
Katie Kuehner-Hebert is a writer
in California.
Carlos Lucero, 29
Loan off icer, VP
∠ Western Bank | Lordsburg, N.M.
Carlos Lucero continually puts the needs of his clients
and coworkers first. He leads by example and is always
willing to contribute. He is involved in several civic
and nonprofit organizations related to food security
and community health that strive to make a diff erence
in the community. He is also part of Grant County
Prospectors, which advocates for legislative needs and
economic and community development.
Jon Beall, 38
Senior VP, C&I relationship manager
∠ EagleBank | Bethesda, Md.
Jon Beall is dedicated to prioritizing the relationships
of EagleBank's customers. He supports them through
advocacy and philanthropy. Whether it's dressing up
as Captain America to attend the DC Bilingual Book-oween
event or allocating a sponsorship contribution
to send students on an annual study-abroad program,
Beall continually demonstrates his institution's motto of
" Relationships First. " (Continued on page 38)
These bankers are going above and beyond to serve their
communities on their own time.
Heather Miltenberger, 39
SVP, director of marketing and business services
∠ Pennian Bank | Miff lintown, Pa.
Heather Miltenberger is dedicated to engaging
with community members and the community
organizations that serve people from all walks of life.
During the height of the pandemic, she developed
and implemented Pennian Bank's " Local First "
campaign and branding initiative that highlights and
features local businesses and nonprofit organizations.
Miltenberger encourages learning as a lifelong
endeavor and is always seeking to learn and find new
efficiencies in banking and marketing.
independentbanker.org Q 37
http://www.independentbanker.org
Independent Banker - June 2022

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