Chairman's Message
Dear Fellow Community Bankers:
Greetings! I hope this letter finds you well and your bank prosperous. We are blessed; blessed to work in an industry whose primary purpose is to improve lives. While not glamorous and at times frustrating, it is both humbling and fulfilling to show up every day to work in an industry that is geared toward facilitating the accomplishment of financial dreams and objectives of our customers and communities.
I want to say thank you as we kick off a new year for the Virginia Association of Community Banks. Thank you for allowing me to serve as your Chairman and representing your interests, and the interests of your bank; interests that encompass everyone from your employees to your shareholders to your communities to your customers. I do not take the charge lightly, and I promise you that I will do all that I can in my year as Chairman to help advance our mission.
Speaking of our mission, do you know what it is without looking? Don’t worry, this is not a test, here it is; Undiluted Advocacy. Targeted Education. Quality Collaboration.
All three items identified in our mission are critical to our success, but if you attended the convention in Roanoke (and thank you if you did!) and heard my remarks, you know I am a tremendous believer in the incredible power of advocacy and connectedness to our policymakers.
We should never take our eyes off delivering value to our communities, employees, and shareholders, but the fact is that our industry is heavily impacted by state and particularly national politics. Time spent connecting with legislators, appointees, and policymakers enables us to better serve those in our communities. Our impact as community banks transcends politics, and while there will always be politicians more favorable to community banking than others, we need to ensure we always have a seat at the table and an empathetic listener on the other side. Unlike technological and consumer preference changes, and many other changes we watch develop over time and for which we can plan, so many political and regulatory changes can happen swiftly and arbitrarily. We need to be engaged and shaping the conversation at all times, not just when important issues are being deliberated and critical decisions are imminent.
My challenge to you for the coming year; don’t be a bystander on advocacy. In fact, don’t just be someone who attends banking association events to glad-hand and check a box to say “I did my part”. I challenge you to get to know your delegate, state senator, and congressional representative. If you can get to know our US senators that’s great, but despite what you might hear I am reasonable and understand there are only two of them for our great Commonwealth of nearly 8.5 million people. Challenge your executive team and your board of directors to do the same and become engaged.
When we unite as community bankers and leverage a strong network of contacts with our message we cannot lose in the policy arena. Our banks are the fabric of our local economies and a key support mechanism for our community nonprofits, schools, businesses, and other important institutions. Let’s rededicate ourselves to making sure we are spreading the word to key policymakers about our work and how proud we are of it.
Thank you again for allowing me to serve you. Let’s make it a fantastic year for the VACB.
Brian Plum
Chairman
2018 - 2019
Greetings! I hope this letter finds you well and your bank prosperous. We are blessed; blessed to work in an industry whose primary purpose is to improve lives. While not glamorous and at times frustrating, it is both humbling and fulfilling to show up every day to work in an industry that is geared toward facilitating the accomplishment of financial dreams and objectives of our customers and communities.
I want to say thank you as we kick off a new year for the Virginia Association of Community Banks. Thank you for allowing me to serve as your Chairman and representing your interests, and the interests of your bank; interests that encompass everyone from your employees to your shareholders to your communities to your customers. I do not take the charge lightly, and I promise you that I will do all that I can in my year as Chairman to help advance our mission.
Speaking of our mission, do you know what it is without looking? Don’t worry, this is not a test, here it is; Undiluted Advocacy. Targeted Education. Quality Collaboration.
All three items identified in our mission are critical to our success, but if you attended the convention in Roanoke (and thank you if you did!) and heard my remarks, you know I am a tremendous believer in the incredible power of advocacy and connectedness to our policymakers.
We should never take our eyes off delivering value to our communities, employees, and shareholders, but the fact is that our industry is heavily impacted by state and particularly national politics. Time spent connecting with legislators, appointees, and policymakers enables us to better serve those in our communities. Our impact as community banks transcends politics, and while there will always be politicians more favorable to community banking than others, we need to ensure we always have a seat at the table and an empathetic listener on the other side. Unlike technological and consumer preference changes, and many other changes we watch develop over time and for which we can plan, so many political and regulatory changes can happen swiftly and arbitrarily. We need to be engaged and shaping the conversation at all times, not just when important issues are being deliberated and critical decisions are imminent.
My challenge to you for the coming year; don’t be a bystander on advocacy. In fact, don’t just be someone who attends banking association events to glad-hand and check a box to say “I did my part”. I challenge you to get to know your delegate, state senator, and congressional representative. If you can get to know our US senators that’s great, but despite what you might hear I am reasonable and understand there are only two of them for our great Commonwealth of nearly 8.5 million people. Challenge your executive team and your board of directors to do the same and become engaged.
When we unite as community bankers and leverage a strong network of contacts with our message we cannot lose in the policy arena. Our banks are the fabric of our local economies and a key support mechanism for our community nonprofits, schools, businesses, and other important institutions. Let’s rededicate ourselves to making sure we are spreading the word to key policymakers about our work and how proud we are of it.
Thank you again for allowing me to serve you. Let’s make it a fantastic year for the VACB.
Brian Plum
Chairman
2018 - 2019
