John Maxfield spent his days helping local businesses succeed. Along the way, he became friends with some of Springfield’s most successful business owners. He also managed to establish strong bonds with the staff at INB. We recently took some time to consider John’s retirement from INB.
Gina Diel
VP/Loan Administration Officer
Gina writes: “What can I say about John??? I’ve known John since I started working at First of America in 1991. He has always been pleasant to work with. He’s very thorough, great attention to detail, and goes above and beyond to help his clients with their needs. Each year, as Christmas approaches, he reminds me that his argyle sweater desk calendar will soon run out and a new year will begin (so I can tell Santa to make sure he gets a new one for next year).”
Kelley Himmelberg
VP, Director of Human Resources
Kelley says, “I remember one of the first INB Christmas parties I attended; John and his band played. I was surprised to see this quiet, reserved man playing the drums. You could tell it was his passion, and I had the pleasure of hearing him play many times throughout the years. I still get a kick out John’s license plate, ‘ZZ top,’ every time I see it. John, you are a kind-hearted, positive person, and you will be greatly missed!”
Steve Miller
VP, Client Services
Steve writes: “I have only known John for a few years, but what I can say about him is that he always was willing to help and always was happy to see you in a professional or social situation. I recently finished a book called ‘Making A Difference.’ The title of one chapter was called ‘Make Someone’s List.’ In this chapter, this question was asked, ‘If you were to make a list of people who had influenced your life, would you be on someone’s list?’ I can confidently say, John is on a lot of people’s lists. John understands how to interact with people every day, and make them feel important; his influence will be missed. Congratulations on your retirement.”
Kari Saling
Portfolio Manager Assistant
Kari says, “John always had chocolate available at his desk. I would sneak in there so he wouldn’t know I was taking any. I think he caught on after a while, but still kept filling it up. Even when he moved floors, he still made sure we had a supply of chocolate. Thank you John, not just for the chocolate but for always being so nice and thoughtful. You will be missed. Enjoy Retirement!”
Marilyn Titone Schaefer
VP, Communications Director
Marilyn writes: “John’s support of community organizations puts most of us to shame, yet you have to ask a lot of questions to get John to chat about himself. He always focuses on the organization or the other volunteers. He’s definitely not going to have to worry about filling his free time once he retires! My guess is he’ll be out there supporting his chosen charities even more than he did while working. He is such a kind soul.”
Rick Schramm
SVP, Commercial Lending
Rick says, “John is a great advocate for his customers. He goes to great lengths to find a program that might get the bank to a ‘yes’ on the loan – SBA, state programs, etc. He allowed many businesses to get started while minimizing the risk to the bank.”
Brett Tiemann
EVP, Chief Financial Officer
Brett writes: “I got to know John over 25 years ago when he was a lender at FOA, and I was with the CPA firm located in the same building (where PNC is now, downtown). His personality has never changed. He has always been the genuine person that he is today, willing to assist anyone with anything. Amazingly, he still looks the same to me today as he did then. It’s like he never aged. I’m very happy for John and wish him nothing but the best as he begins a new chapter.”
Todd Weir
AVP/Mortgage Lender
Todd says, “John is one of the most honorable guys and has the most integrity of anyone I’ve known. He’s very soft-spoken, but always has his customers’ best interest in mind while also keeping the bank’s interests in mind. His clients think the world of him, too. I get my haircut by one of John’s clients, and the owners have nothing but good things to say about John. Really, they regularly rant and rave about him. They’re going to miss him, as will the rest of us.”
Evan Westlake
SVP/Commercial Lender
When you’re asked to reflect on John Maxfield’s career, it’s easy to think about the hundreds of clients he’s helped or perhaps thousands of loans that he’s closed -- and he was good at those things. But when I think of John Maxfield as a person I think about one time that truly showed how much he cared about people. This was about 2012 or 2013 and my family and I went out to the Apple Barn in Chatham to take some pictures of the kids with pumpkins and perhaps get some apple cider. I had been working with John for four or five years and had a good relationship, but it wasn’t yet very deep. We hadn’t been there long when I saw him across the lot interacting with people. He was talking to parents and smiling to kids and really just making people happy. You would have thought he was being paid by the Apple Barn to be a greeter or something. In fact, he just lives close by and enjoyed coming out periodically to see the joy on the kids faces and to just soak it in. When he saw me, Courtney, and the kids, he came over and immediately asked how we were doing and asked the kids if they were having fun. We were in the store part surrounded by apples, cider, and other sweet treats and he immediately picked up an apple or pumpkin pie and asked “Can I get you anything, perhaps a pie?” and in that moment his generosity really struck me. Some people would have asked if they could get us a cup of coffee or cider but his first thought was to get a pie, something that could be shared with eight or even more people. I think this portrays his personality and his mission in life. He wants to make as many people happy as possible whether through his positive demeanor, helping a client start a new business or buy a new piece of equipment, or just stopping by your office for a few minutes at 4 p.m. on a Friday to see how your week was and what you had planned for the weekend. In everything John did, you could feel the authenticity and generosity. I’ve loved working with John for almost 12 years and respect him immensely. I’ll miss seeing John every day.
John Wilson
EVP, Chief Lending Officer
John says, “John has always been very committed to the businesses he works with. He is dedicated to each request and will do whatever he can to help the business succeed.”
John, a senior vice president with the bank, is retiring April 30. Please join us for a retirement reception on Tuesday, April 30 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Main branch boardroom on the 2nd floor.