Independent Banker - September 2018 - 55

West Bank, founded 1893
West Des Moines, Iowa
W
est Bank was founded in
1893 by Herman and Anna
Raaz, who moved to the United States
from Germany and worked their way
to Iowa via railcar to the train depot
known as Valley Junction, says Dave
D. Nelson, chairman and CEO of the
$2.2 billion-asset bank.
The bank was originally known as
Valley Junction State Savings Bank,
but when Valley Junction changed its
name to West Des Moines, the bank's
name changed to West Des Moines
State Bank. After the institution
expanded outside of West Des Moines,
it became West Bank.
" West Bank is the oldest business
of any type to be founded in West
Des Moines, and 125 years later, the
original West Bank building remains
standing in historic Valley Junction, "
Nelson says. " Cofounder Anna Raaz is
believed to be the fi rst female cashier
in the state of Iowa. "
The community bank now serves
central and eastern Iowa as well as
Clockwise from left: West Bank's Rochester,
Minn., facility, built in 2016; its current HQ in
West Des Moines, Iowa, when the building
opened in 1972; founders Herman and
Anna Raaz; and its original location
in West Des Moines in 1910.
Rochester, Minn. " West Bank was
built upon relationship building,
community leadership, and helping
people and businesses reach their
fi nancial goals, " Nelson says. " West
Bank is known for having highly
seasoned bankers who have been with
the bank 30 to 40 years, and many for
their entire banking career. "
A combination of effi ciency and
consistent prudent underwriting
enabled the bank to survive the Great
Depression, the farm crisis of the
1980s and the more recent global
fi nancial crisis.
As with any community bank,
having and managing good vendor
partnerships is essential to keeping
up with technology advancements,
Nelson says. West Bank also invests a
great deal in local relationships, and
forms a community board wherever
it conducts business to foster
local connections.
" From our humble beginnings in
1893, one thing has not changed, "
Where will your bank be
in another 125 years?
" I hope our
nation still has
a community
banking system
like we do today. Our
income-tax-paying American
banking system is the envy
of the rest of the world, and
perhaps the most important
part of our nation's economy. "
-Dave D. Nelson, West Bank
says Nelson. " Every customer, from
the smallest to the largest, deserves
our full attention and top-notch
customer service. And we're poised
to meet the needs of those customers
well into the 21st century. "
ª

Independent Banker - September 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Independent Banker - September 2018

Table of Contents
Independent Banker - September 2018 - Intro
Independent Banker - September 2018 - Cover1
Independent Banker - September 2018 - Cover2
Independent Banker - September 2018 - Table of Contents
Independent Banker - September 2018 - 2
Independent Banker - September 2018 - 3
Independent Banker - September 2018 - 4
Independent Banker - September 2018 - 5
Independent Banker - September 2018 - 6
Independent Banker - September 2018 - 7
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Independent Banker - September 2018 - Cover3
Independent Banker - September 2018 - Cover4
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