Courtney Bentley’s favorite memory during her tenure as deposit operations specialist at INB is joining her coworkers for a Secret Santa project at Salvation Army.

“The best part about it was the way the customers were so appreciative of us. I remember two particular ladies: one started to cry and gave me a big hug and just couldn’t thank us enough. And the other was buying clothes and toys for her neighborhood kids; we paid for her whole transaction, and she couldn’t believe that someone would do what we did,” Courtney recalled. “I love working at INB because we have so many volunteer opportunities to help out our community. I also love the great relationships I have developed with my coworkers; I have made many of friendships in the workplace that I maintain outside of work.”

Close relationships within the bank and with the community have brought employees to INB not only for first-time careers, but even back again.

“I was with the original Illinois National Bank for 20 years,” said Mary Wenger, IT project manager for INB. “After I left for 12 years, I had the opportunity to work again at INB. I was especially happy to be part of an original group of INB employees that I respected when I returned in 2007. So many of us grew up together in banking and developed a great work ethic, which continues today.”

Mary and Courtney are two of the many employees celebrating thriving relationships and work ethic at INB with service anniversaries for the third quarter of 2017. Along with Courtney, Donald Moorman, data control clerk, and Lynne Wooden, VP, business solutions, have five years of service to celebrate.

Many Employees Mark Service Anniversaries

Joining Mary in celebrating 10 years at INB are Stephen Spainhour, remittance off-shift manager; Larry Hale, courier; and John Bryant, lead loan serving specialist.

Those commemorating 15 years with INB are Scott Moore, VP, commercial lending in Fairmount; Ronald Hollinshead, remittance coordinator assistant; Mark Donovan, SVP, commercial lending; Byron Mitchell, loan servicing specialist; and Becky Beadle, universal banker in Chatham.

Lynne Wooden has a similar experience to Mary: when came to INB in 2012, she had already built relationships from working at the original INB. And she wanted to return to become more involved in community banking.

“After several years of business travel, I lost touch with many acquaintances. I chose to work at INB for several reasons, but the main reason was to get more involved in the Springfield community,” Lynne said. “INB is very involved in serving the needs of our community; there is probably not a month that goes by that INB employees do not have the opportunity to volunteer for some cause or activity. I’m proud to say I work for INB.”

Finding Purpose in Work

Don Moorman began as a temp in the Remittance Center in 2009 and was then hired on as a bank employee in 2012. He now trains temps for INB’s quarterly peak periods and has found lasting friendships with many.

“It’s my pleasure to work with many terrific people. I’m still in touch with a few who don’t work here anymore, and some who have been hired on by INB in other departments,” Don said.

Many service anniversary celebrants say flourishing friendships in a close-knit environment key is key to finding happiness at work.

“I enjoy working with the people at INB; they are friendly and easy to work with. Those I work closely with I consider friends,” Byron Mitchell said.

“I have made many lasting friendships with some people I currently work with and former INB employees,” Becky Beadle agreed. “Many INB customers have also become friends.”

Having been raised in a rural community, Scott said he was naturally drawn to INB’s Fairmount branch and now enjoys the many interactions with customers as he partners with them to purchase homes, grow their businesses, and provide other services for them to achieve their financial goals.

“What this organization has accomplished since 1999 is truly amazing,” Scott said. “Anyone familiar with INB knows that this bank prides itself in delivering personalized service with innovative technology. Our staff is passionate about recognizing the unique needs of each and every customer and tailoring solutions to help them achieve their financial goals. I truly believe it is this personalized service and the passion our staff has for each and every customer that has contributed to the bank’s success in the communities we serve.”

The innovation at INB and collaboration between and within departments certainly helps employees find purpose and joy in working at INB each day.

“INB has always been a great place to work and a big part of the reason is the great people they hire and how well everyone works together throughout each department,” said John Bryant. “INB gives such great support for its employees and also supports our communities, which rubs off on employees and shapes the culture at INB. Whether it’s in the INB running club or at one of the many volunteer opportunities that we have the chance to do, there is never a shortage of people willing to join in to improve themselves or our community.”

Dedication to Learning Makes for New Opportunities

For Mark Donovan, the memory of helping a father set up a savings account for his young daughter stands out as he considers his 15-year career at INB that began as a commercial lender.

“In that moment, I got to participate in what I hope was a lasting and foundational step in that child’s development, both financially and educationally. And in that moment in working with the parent and child, the work felt truly philanthropic,” Mark said. “Plus, it was pleasantly reminiscent of my first passbook savings account, trying to understand compound interest, and my parents’ – mostly futile – attempt to get my brothers and I to save our dollars as opposed to endlessly spending them on packs of Topps, Donruss, and Score baseball cards.”

A constant in Mark’s career has been INB’s pervasive dedication to learning, which he considers one of the most important aspects of the bank’s culture.

“Adopting a position as a learning organization implies that we embrace that change and that we never stop the pursuit of improvement, both for the sake of the men and women we work besides, but ultimately for the sake of improving the financial lives of our clients,” he said. “Employees are always encouraged to pursue education, whether that’s germane to the work they do, or more generally in post-secondary education.

“We back up this encouragement by providing financial assistance to employees; this all underscores our belief that the best return on investment still comes from investing in people,” he added. “So it’s invigorating to think that the best work of my colleagues and I has yet to be achieved.”