In between the family meals with tables full of turkey and trimmings, the related holiday festivities and watching those favorite movies we all know and love, millions of people are planning on hitting the malls, outlet stores and online retailers for a little (or a lot!) of holiday shopping in the upcoming weeks.

As part of its Go Local initiative to dine local, shop local and bank local, the Independent Community Bankers of America, representing thousands of local community banks across the nation, is launching a “Go Local for the Holidays” campaign to encourage consumers to buy at least 30 percent of their holiday purchases at locally owned businesses.

According to a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation, the biggest portion of 2012 holiday shoppers’ budget will go toward gifts for family members – and on average, about $422 will be spent on them!

Just think about how much good you’ll be doing if you buy even just a few of those gifts on your list from a small business. The money you spend will go towards helping local entrepreneurs to succeed, create jobs and keep money flowing within your community — similar to the way community banks serve their small business customers every day by lending to them and helping them navigate their local market. One of the important reasons they are able to do this is because community banks are small businesses too! They understand the challenges that local small businesses face and they value their customer relationship, not only throughout the holiday season but the entire year. In fact, community banks under $10 billion in assets provide nearly 60 percent of small business loans between $100,000 and $1 million!

It’s all part of a very symbiotic relationship between small businesses and their local community banks. So let’s get into the holiday spirit and add consumers to that list! I have no doubt it will make Santa and a few small business owners and their families very happy this holiday season — not to mention a happier community with more jobs and more dollars being circulated where they belong — locally!

– Terry Jorde, senior executive vice president/chief of staff at ICBA
@terryjorde

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Nashville, Tenn. (March 14, 2012)—The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) today honored three community banks that have demonstrated outstanding customer service with the 2012 ICBA National Community Bank Service Awards. The three community bank award recipients were announced during ICBA’s 2012 National Convention and Techworld® in Nashville, Tenn. The ICBA National Community Bank Service Awards bring national recognition to the unparalleled contributions community banks make to help build sustainable communities. The awards are given annually to community banks that show longstanding commitments to community outreach and development.

“ICBA founded the National Community Bank Service Awards program to help celebrate the outstanding volunteer efforts of the nation’s community banks, which exist to serve the needs of their customers and communities each and every day,” said incoming ICBA Chairman Jeffrey L. Gerhart, chairman of Bank of Newman Grove, Newman Grove, Neb. “This year’s award recipients exemplify what community bank service is all about. We commend them for giving their time, expertise and resources to better their communities and the lives of local residents.”

ICBA is pleased to honor the following community banks with the 2012 ICBA National Community Bank Service Awards:

Grand National Award:

• Wyoming Bank & Trust in Cheyenne, Wyo.

National Award:

• For banks with assets over $500 million: Bank of Ann Arbor in Ann Arbor, Mich.
• For banks with assets under $500 million: Bryant State Bank in Bryant, S.D.

Honorable Mentions:

• The Bank of Oswego in Lake Oswego, Ore.
• Northeast Community Bank in White Plains, N.Y.
• First State Bank of Joplin in Joplin, Mo.
• Bankers Trust in Des Moines, Iowa.
• Village Bank in Midlothian, Va.
• Katahdin Trust Company in Houlton, Maine.

As the Grand National award recipient, Wyoming Bank & Trust is being recognized for its “Honor Flight Wyoming” program, which was launched in 2008 for the purpose of getting local World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., so they could see the new World War II memorial. The organization has had six flights from Wyoming and raised more than $626,000 from private donors, which has resulted in flying 679 World War II veterans and 358 Guardians and staff to Washington, D.C. Tom Bass, president of the Wyoming Bank & Trust, is a vice president of the Honor Flight Wyoming organization and one of its founding board members. Wyoming Bank & Trust also participates in several other community service projects throughout the year, including lining the streets of Cheyenne with American flags during the fourth of July and sponsoring an annual coat drive called “Warm Up Wyoming.”

Bank of Ann Arbor was named as a National Award recipient in recognition of its “Sweet 15” social media charity campaign. To commemorate the bank’s 15th birthday, “Sweet 15” mobilized the power of social media by attracting 17,000 people to direct $75,000 of the bank’s money to 15 local nonprofit organizations. During the campaign, the bank’s Facebook page gained over 16,000 new “likes” and created over 3.5 million impressions, which created significant awareness for local nonprofits. President and CEO Timothy Marshall threw his wholehearted support into the effort, encouraging all employees and friends to join the campaign. The enthusiasm and passion displayed by the community for the local nonprofits was overwhelming and benefited local nonprofits, such as Humane Society of Huron Valley, Down Syndrome Support Team, Friends of Fiddlers Restrung, the Neutral Zone and many more.

Bryant State Bank was named as a National Award recipient in recognition of its community development program. As Bryant, S.D.’s largest full-time employer, WW Tire, a tire retail, wholesale and recapping manufacturing company, faced a dilemma: the company had outgrown its facilities and needed to expand, but there were no suitable building sites in the community that had both the space and the infrastructure to meet the needs of the expanding business. The business began to explore options of moving the expansion to a larger community outside the area, which would have a devastating impact on the community. This is when President Jeff Davis, President and Chairman Lee Jacobson, of Bryant State Bank stepped in. Instead of letting opportunities go elsewhere, Bryant State Bank’s donation of more than 200 hours and over 40 percent staff involvement expanded job opportunities, increased public funds and enhanced the community for generations to come. In addition, the project facilitated future growth opportunities for another business, and building plans are underway.

Learn more about these banks’ unparalleled acts of community service and the ICBA National Community Bank Service Awards at www.icba.org.