INB’s Chief Financial Officer Brett Tiemann calls the bank’s move to Chatham in 2002 “opportunistic.” That same year, bank leadership PLANNED to build the bank’s south and north Springfield branches, but Chatham just sort of fell into their laps.
“We got a call from the CEO of Palmer (a Chatham bank). He was looking to do other things and wondered if we were interested in acquiring the business. The opportunity made sense. It was a natural extension of who we were and where we were going.”
At the time, Palmer Bank was in a strip mall at 414 W. Main. Brett said, “We decided to build a new branch partly because we owned the lot at Plummer and Route 4. We thought it could serve our customer base and allow for growth.”
Personal Banker Becky Beadle was one of the Palmer employees who transitioned to INB. She added that the INB management team was very thorough and made the entire staff feel welcome. And as the new building was being constructed, they took a trip every Friday to the new location to see the progress. “It was very impressive,” she remembered. “A lot of people didn’t even know we were in the old location because it didn’t even look like a bank!”
She said of the experience, “INB gave us more opportunity and chances to do other things.” The staff was especially impressed with the technology updates like online banking and debit cards “And,” Becky added, “we didn’t have to roll our own coins anymore! We got a machine.”
Change for the Better
Just as employees easily made the switch from Palmer to INB, Becky said customers who had lived in Chatham for years made the transition, too. “Customers were concerned when this new bank came to town,” she explained. “But INB was a community bank like Palmer had been. The employees were the same.” The change worked out well for everyone.
Branch Manager Amanda Donley assures us everything will continue to work well. “We treat everyone who walks in like family. We want them to have a better day after seeing us than when they came in.”
Amanda says it’s the sincerity of her team’s words and actions that make the difference. “We tell our customers, ‘Thanks for banking with us. Thanks for choosing us.’”
In one instance, Amanda says they gave a 90th birthday party for a customer. “She (the customer) now thinks of us as a friend or family. We hope she will recommend us to others.”
Another way our retail team shows its support is through community event engagement. “The community supports us, so we want to support them,” Amanda explains. INB supports the school district in many ways, including providing financial education to high school students. “We’re there for Light up the Park, Iron Chef and the Sweet Corn Festival,” she adds.
Though a Springfield native, Mortgage Lender Corey Kates moved to Chatham in 20221 with his wife and son. “I’ve absolutely grown to love Chatham,” he says. “We go to the local restaurants. Shop at the local stores. I’ve learned that once you give back, the community gives back to you.”
With an office in our Chatham branch, Corey notes he’s able to work with Becky and other team members to easily transition customers from a mortgage conversation to talking about other accounts with INB. “Being a one-stop shop for all services makes us fast and efficient.”