“Kalamazoo County State Bank completes 98th
year as a locally owned Community Bank”
SCHOOLCRAFT – Kalamazoo County
State Bank began its existence in 1908 in Schoolcraft
Michigan
. However not many people know
that the original bank existed long before this date. On
January 23, 1871
, The National Bank of Schoolcraft was formed by M.R. Cobb and E.B.
Dyckman and continued until
March 23, 1893
when it became Kalamazoo County Bank.
On
October 8th, 1908
the bank changed its charter and became Kalamazoo County State Bank, and
retains that status today. It survived the depression of 1933, and remains
a staunchly independent community bank today.
“Even though the bank is steeped in
history, with the sweeping changes of GLB, the bank has looked to the
future in expanding it’s product lines to include insurance, and our
five year old Investment Centers of America
office located in our bank, with a fully licensed investment advisor on
staff. We have a strong
presence in the communities that we serve, which in addition to
Schoolcraft, include full service branches in Mattawan and
Vicksburg
.” States Jim MacPhee the banks CEO.
Jim also points proudly to the
longevity of the staff, or “team” as he likes to refer to them. With
the average officer being employed there for over 21 years, and the
average staff person being employed there for over 10 years.
“Some banks look to downsize their staff and replace them with
new people to reduce wages, we think that a trained and seasoned staff is
a huge asset in what we still believe strongly is a “people business”
states Rick Phillips, the banks AVP and Human Resources Officer.
Identifying people by their first name and having the ability to
make them feel at home is a key asset in retaining our customers, and we
know our staff is a big part of that process.
The bank's President Jim Goes, and
Linda Kaminski, the banks VP in charge of operations, have been
instrumental in bringing new technology into the bank in the form of a new
network, and their recently installed, new computer system.
“Our bank succeeds when the nerve center functions properly, and
that means staying up with the technology curve” says Jim.
“We think we can continue to compete, and be the kind of bank
that people enjoy doing business with by staying abreast of current trends
in an ever changing environment”.
The concept of “team” was tested
this past 4th of July, when the bank celebrated by preparing a
huge float for the parade down main street.
The banks staff spent hours decorating the float which almost
became true to the meaning of the word “float” when a huge thunder
storm came through town, right as the parade was to begin.
“It was essentially destroyed by the wind and rain that swept
through town said Linda Kaminski, “we were all pretty disappointed, but
our staff loves a challenge, and we’ll be back again next year bigger
and better!”
The bank also serves the communities
that it is in through several internal fundraisers that generate money for
needy families through their Friday casual dress fund, toys for tots, and
toys for South County Community Services at Christmas.
In addition, a number of the staff are involved in numerous
fundraisers all year long. “We
raised several thousand dollars this year though our various fund raising
activities” says Pam Shaffer the banks AVP, Mortgage and Compliance
Officer. “We are very proud
of our record in serving the communities we are in”
The banks motto is “Local,
Reliable, Friendly”, if the past 98 years are any example, they say what
they mean, and mean what they say, and we would expect them to be around
for another 100 years.
At Kalamazoo County State Bank, your business is very important to us and we do our best to meet your changing banking needs. If at any time we can help you further, please contact us.
Thank You For Banking With Us
|
E-Mail:
