Independent Banker - May 2023 - 5

FLOURISH
" Community bankers know the people
and needs behind [small businesses],
and that personal connection creates
a recipe for mutual success. "
Rebeca Romero Rainey
President and CEO, ICBA
f there's one universal truth
about small businesses, it's this:
No two are the same. Whether it's
an agricultural entity, a business
consultancy, a retail establishment
or a host of other options, you'd be
hard-pressed to find a replicated
set of financial needs. Fortunately,
community banks operate in the same
fashion. Though you share common
values in relationship-first banking,
your models are based on the needs of
the communities you support.
That's what makes you so uniquely
poised to serve small businesses: You
are small businesses yourselves. Your
ability to look at each organization
independently allows you to
underwrite not based on a one-sizefits-all
approach, but on the individual
needs of the business and the
local community.
Yet the small business relationship
extends beyond any transaction.
Community bankers are there for
their small business customers as
lenders, financial advisors and overall
business supporters. For instance, I
recently visited my local dry cleaner,
who always greets me by name, and
he apologized that services had been
delayed a week because his boiler
I
went out and he had to close. Then,
without knowing what I do for a
living, he went on to tell me how
thankful he was for his community
bank, which was able to lend him
the money he needed to get back up
and running. He shared that without
this bank, he would have been out
of operation.
This is but one example of the
significant impact you have on the
nation's small businesses. Think
about walking down Main Street
of any community and how small
businesses are the embodiment of that
community. Whether the business is
a large employer, the local gift shop
or a hotel that's growing, community
bankers know the people and needs
behind the business, and that personal
connection creates a recipe for
mutual success.
So, as you consider how to celebrate
May's Small Business Month, I invite
you to take a look at the resources
unveiled as part of our national
campaign and those in the Tell
Your Story toolkit. Both provide
turnkey materials to help you share
your stories and the work you do
in supporting small businesses in
your communities.
Telling this story matters,
particularly as we continue to
differentiate community banks
from megabanks and credit unions.
The impact you have on the small
businesses you serve speaks
volumes about where your priorities
lie and what it means to be a
community bank. And that's a story
worth shouting from the rooftops
throughout Main Street America
and beyond.
Connect with Rebeca @romerorainey
Where I'll be this month
I'm looking forward to welcoming community bankers to D.C.
for our Capital Summit, May 14-17, and supporting them in
sharing their stories with legislators.
independentbanker.org // 5
Photo by Chris Williams
http://www.independentbanker.org
Independent Banker - May 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Independent Banker - May 2023
