2023 Community Bank Case Study Competition Journal

THIRD PLACE: Messiah University

the second CTO came suddenly due to personal matters. While the role was vacant, Mr. Jeff Renninger stepped in to get the bank crew through the Jack Henry system conversion. Mr. Renninger is referred to as a “pseudo retiree,” meaning he has retired a few times already but keeps coming back. He is currently still on board with the team but on a focused dial back as a business analyst, however, he is more than prepared and willing to step into any role that is needed. With LINK’s succession plan, they focus on transitional planning and having candid conversations about future plans and what that looks like for the employee and the institution. Despite LINKBANK being shareholder owned, they do internal planning for succession as well. The main things they think about are continuity and if they have people who are ready to step up and take the bank to the next level, a point of emphasis in employee retention. They refer to this succession planning as a multi multi-year approach. In order to identify the employees that hold the potential of becoming leaders, they do one-on one conversations to understand the employees’ career goals. They also try to discover goals through cross-training, mentorship programs, access to executive leaders, and opportunities for employees to change roles within the company. Having those conversations with the employees and asking the important questions during the one-on-ones, is imperative to get a grasp of measurable goals, strengths, and what gifts are being brought to the table. They truly believe that personal growth and succession

planning come together and that all of the little things add up to someone’s career. LINKBANK has a diverse group of ages and as such, not every manager is from the same generation, and not all entry level positions are made up of young adults. Having that array allows them to stay the course of making the right staffing decisions to stay true to their culture for the long-term. Growing and investing in people early in their careers has already proven fruitful with smaller internal promotions and they have the full intention to continue what is working so well for them. Part III: Training and Technology The bank has been able to provide an abundance of training and formal events to its employees to ensure that they are expanding and gaining further knowledge in the banking industry. Through the American Bankers Association, all levels of staff are given the same training modules to complete each quarter of the year. The topics of training range from fraud, to security threats, what information can be provided to customers about lending if they do not have a current NMLS number, and a variety of others that pertain to all aspects of banking. Female executives are given the opportunity to participate in and attend conferences that are specifically for women leaders in banking and they bring that knowledge back to the office and apply it to the bank. Younger staff are given the opportunity to be paired with a mentor where there are conversations about what they are looking to learn and can shadow and have these deeper

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