Farmers State Bank, Pittsfield IL, Partners with Local CEO Program and Students
Farmers State Bank - Pittsfield, Illinois — Employees of Farmers State Bank, headquartered in Pittsfield, recently had the opportunity to collaborate with students of the Pike County and Morgan and Scott County CEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities) programs.
As stated on its website, the Midland Institute for Creating Entrepreneurship program is a year-long course designed to utilize partnerships that provide an overview of business development and processes.
Local businesses partner with area schools to create project-based experiences for students by providing funding, expertise, meeting space, business tours, and one-on-one mentoring. Students visit area businesses, learn from guest speakers, participate in a class business, write business plans, and start and operate their own businesses. Business concepts learned through the experiential CEO class are critical; the 21st century skills of problem-solving, teamwork, self-motivation, responsibility, higher-order thinking, communication, and inquiry are at the heart of a student’s development throughout the course.
Farmers State Bank has partnered with the local CEO program since its inception and appreciates the many skillsets the program teaches its students. In fact, Farmers State Bank uses the program to target prospective employees.
“From an employer’s standpoint, the CEO program has proven to be a successful recruiting tool,” states Jill Moss, Chief Operating Officer, Farmers State Bank. “Students we have hired from the program have showcased skills that directly align with our customer service standards and core values.”
During their visits to various locations of Farmers State Bank, students learned how a bank operates, the different ways divisions of its bank work together to provide exceptional customer service, and what to consider financially when opening and operating a business. In addition, members of Farmers State Bank covered topics on the importance of company culture, saying yes to opportunities, and how to act like an owner when they are an employee of someone else’s business.
“The CEO Program is vital to our local students and businesses,” says Moss. “It’s an exceptional program that teaches life and business skills that will propel the next generation of leaders in our community, and we take pride in being a part of it.”
About Farmers State Bank
Farmers State Bank is ranked the number one bank in agriculture in its market areas and was recently named the Top Community Bank in Customer Service and a two-time finalist for the Top Community Bank in America by the Institute for Extraordinary Banking. Farmers State Bank also holds a five-star rating, the highest ranking a bank can receive, by Bauer Financial, Inc. With assets in excess of $300 million, Farmers State Bank, headquartered in Pittsfield, IL, has been locally owned since 1889 and remains one of the strongest banks in the nation.