Illinois banker is an industry educator and leader

Northwestern Financial Review, Jul 15-Jul 31, 2003 by Dullum, Justin

Greg Ohlendorf could have been an insurance man. He also could have been an educator. He did become a banker, and the industry is benefiting.

Ohlendorf, a 2003 North * Western Financial Review Rising Star, graduated summa cum laude from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1985. With a business degree in hand, he took a job with State Farm Insurance in Bloomington, Ill. It took him four months to realize insurance wasn't his future.

Meanwhile, his reputation was making moves for him back in Beecher, Ill. - his hometown. Bruce Bockelmann, who was president of what was then Farmers State Bank of Beecher, had heard through the local grapevine that Ohlendorf was seeking a new career path. The two met and Ohlendorf was intrigued by what Bockelmann had to say.

"We talked about the bank and what his hopes were and it just sounded like an awfully interesting opportunity," said Ohlendorf. "I was intrigued by the idea of helping people buy a house or helping to get a small business started. In college, nobody really got across to me the importance of all that. We talked about rates of return and accounting issues, but never really how these things impact a community."

Ohlendorf has deep business roots in Beecher, where, for 125 years, his family has operated a funeral home. These roots, coupled with a newfound curiosity for banking, made taking the job Bockelmann offered him an easy decision. Seventeen years later, Ohlendorf succeeded Bockelmann as bank president.

"I've worked for him my entire career," Ohlendorf said of Bockelmann. "He brought me into banking. He gave me enough rope to hang myself a thousand times over. He was very supportive with letting me try new things."

On the path to becoming president, Ohlendorf intently studied the banking industry. Early in his career, he was charged with implementing the bank's technology platform. "We brought in software and decided the specifications," Ohlendorf said. "I was already involved in the lending side of the bank, so developing the technological side gave me a good overview of how the entire bank operated."

Through the 1990s, Ohlendorf held several positions at the bank and honed his increasingly varied skills. He joined the faculty at the Midwest School for Community Bankers and taught a wide range of subjects - service pricing, bank investments, operations and technology. "It's a great school. It's very much targeted at the kind of bank I work for," Ohlendorf said.

In 1996, the Farmers State Bank branched outside of Beecher for the first time and was renamed First Community Bank and Trust. "We expected to continue branching and growing and we felt the name would travel better," Ohlendorf said. As Bockelmann approached retirement, it became clear Ohlendorf would take the helm. He left his position at the banking school, as operations at First Community commanded more of his attention. He hopes to one day teach up-and-coming bankers again.

Today, his bank continues in the spirit of growth, recently topping the $100 million mark. "We're going to keep an eye out for branching opportunities and get our message out to a wider range of people," Ohlendorf said. "It seems once we meet them and get a chance to show them what we can do, we can get a lot of folks to do business with us."

Technology remains important to Ohlendorf. "We've remained on the cutting edge of technology throughout and it has helped tremendously," he said.

Ohlendorf serves on the board of the Independent Bankers' Bank in Springfield, Ill. He described the experience as its own form of continuing education. "It's great to be sitting there with 13 very wise and veteran CEOs from around the state and talk about issues that are affecting all of us. It's been a tremendous learning experience for me."

The Beecher market is competitive, with Chicago 40 miles away. Ohlendorf has confidence. "We'll be in this business for a long time. The owners have made it clear they wish to keep the bank locally owned and independent. I firmly expect to stay in community banking."