Bob Leftwich retires as Impact Bank’s Chairman, CEO, President
John T. Stewart III, Chairman and CEO of First Financial Corporation, announces the retirement of Bob Leftwich, Impact Bank’s Chairman, CEO & President, effective Feb. 28, 2022.
Leftwich will continue to serve as a member of the Board of Directors and continue working with the bank on a part-time basis upon his retirement.
Leftwich joined the bank staff in September 1977, providing over 44 years of dedicated service to the bank, its customers and the community. Leftwich held multiple leadership roles across a broad range of bank departments and national and state banking associations, serving as Chairman of the Kansas Bankers Association in 2016.
“Bob’s work ethic, command of complex concepts, devotion and customer focus have been exemplary,” Stewart stated. “He has been a mentor and a leader, and his influence has made an inedible impact on the bank and community. All of us in the Impact Bank family thank Bob for all he has done for the success of our business and our customers. We will miss him and his ‘towering’ presence in our bank.”
President/CEO Brad Yaeger Announces Retirement
Brad Yaeger is announcing his retirement as President/CEO effective March 2022, after 42 years in banking and serving three years as President at Legacy bank (formerly State Bank of Colwich). Yaeger joined the family-owned bank in 1988 and transitioned into the role of President when Frank Suellentrop retired in December 2018.
Yaeger is turning over leadership of the 136-year-old bank to Executive Vice President Steven F. Suellentrop. A fifth-generation banker, Suellentrop, became President of Legacy Bank effective March 14, 2022.
Founded in 1886, Legacy Bank has eight Colwich, Pratt, Sedgwick, and Wichita locations.
The Trust Company of Kansas Names Angela Malley Chief Investment Officer
The Trust Company of Kansas (TCK) announced on Jan. 13, 2022, that Angela Malley was named Chief Investment Officer (CIO), effective Jan. 1, 2022.
As CIO, Malley will be responsible for developing and executing TCK’s investment strategy, including leading the company’s Investment Sub-Committee team with a focus on carefully managing assets for an optimum net annual return – one of the best measurements of a wealth manager’s value. Malley will also continue to serve on the company’s Trust Investment Committee.
“Angela is a proven leader with significant expertise and a deep understanding of our business, and I am proud to announce her promotion to the role of CIO,” said Christopher M. English, CEO of TCK. “During her three years with the company, Angela has made considerable contributions to our investment process. These include the reengineering of TCK’s investment portfolio models and the rollout of a new risk-assessment process to help clients better understand the types of investments that best fit. I look forward to continuing to work with Angela in her expanded role as we leverage TCK’s solid investment process and continue to execute our disciplined growth strategy.”
“I am excited to take on this new position and play a larger role in TCK’s future success,” Malley said. “Our services are as varied as our clients’ needs. I look forward to continuing to lead our team with sound strategies that build long-term relationships, always acting in our clients’ best interest.”
Angela Malley has served in a variety of leadership positions for The Trust Company of Kansas since joining the Company in 2019, including Vice President and Trust Officer and Co-Chair of TCK’s Investment Sub-Committee for the past year. Since joining TCK as a fiduciary adviser, her interest in the investment role has broadened. During this time with TCK, Malley has been involved in the company’s milestone of exceeding $1 billion in client assets under management. Prior to joining TCK, she had a successful 18-year career in tax and financial reporting at Koch Industries and Spirit AeroSystems. A Certified Public Accountant, Malley holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Accounting from Wichita State University.
Home Bank & Trust Co. Announces Two Promotions
Brad Rucker
Tyson Rucker
During the Annual Board of Directors Meeting and Organizational meetings of Home Bank & Trust Co. held in Eureka, KS Feb. 22, 2022, Brad Rucker was promoted to President/CEO and Tyson Rucker was promoted to Chairman of the Board/Chief Operating Officer.
Brad began with Home Bank & Trust Co. in December 1993 at the Clearwater Branch after graduating from Friends University. He is also a graduate of the Colorado Graduate School of Banking and the ABA Graduate School of Commercial Lending. He was responsible for opening the Clearwater Branch in 1994, the West Branch located at 10421 W. Central, Wichita, KS in 2002, and the East Branch located at 1409 N. Greenwich, Wichita, KS in 2007.
Tyson began with Home Bank & Trust Co. in October of 2000 at the Clearwater Branch before relocating to the Eureka office in 2002. He graduated from Friends University in 1998, and he is also a graduate of the Colorado Graduate School of Banking and the ABA Graduate School of Commercial Lending.
Home Bank & Trust Co. has locations in Eureka, Severy, Clearwater and Wichita.
ESB Financial Celebrates Jim Wayman’s Retirement
ESB Financial is pleased to announce the retirement of Jim Wayman and welcomes Michael Black as the incoming President and CEO.
Since the age of 14, Jim Wayman began his banking career at ESB when his dad saw an opportunity for him to get involved. Jim started transferring loan documents from paper ledgers to the first bank computer.
“For me, banking was pretty much a natural progression,” Wayman said. “I grew up in the family business, and for those of you who have grown up in a family environment, you know that it is integrated in our everyday lives. From a young age, I knew that working in the family business was something that I wanted to do. I never seriously considered anything else.”
When asked what he will miss most during retirement, Jim stated the personal relationships he has built with Team ESB and the clients he has served.
As ESB looks to the future, Jim will continue his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Karen Sommers, Jim’s sister, will also continue to serve on the Board as well. The ownership of the bank will remain family-owned, and the Wayman family will still be actively involved with the bank and the communities in the Flint Hills.
Bill Anton Announces Retirement
At the annual meetings of Centera Bank and Santa Fe Trail Banc Shares, Inc. held in March, Bill Anton announced his retirement from the board of directors for both the bank and its holding company.
Bill began his banking career with The State Bank of Satanta in 1973. He joined the Haskell County State Bank in 1994 with the merger of the two banks as President of the Satanta location. He also joined the board of directors at that time.
Bill has been an integral part of the successes achieved in the organization in each capacity in which he has served. The board of directors, shareholders, and employees congratulate him on his retirement, thank him for his years of service, and wish him well in the future.
Richard (Dick) A. Renfro 50 Year Club Award
Dick began his 50-year banking career in April 1971 at National Bank of America (NBA) in Salina as Vice President and Commercial Loan Officer. He then progressed to the position of President of NBA and then President and CEO of the merged UMB National Bank of America. He also served on the UMB Financial Corporation Executive Committee and Board of Directors, retiring in August of 2001. Upon retirement, he was elected as Vice Chairman of the Board and was a consultant to UMB NBA through 2012. He then began service on UMB’s Salina Advisory Board of Directors. In addition to his long career at UMB NBA, he also served on the Board of Directors of Farmers State Bank McPherson until his death in November 2021.
His long-esteemed career was founded on his high school education at Hutchinson High School, BS in Business from Kansas State University, Stonier Graduate School of Banking (Rutgers University) and the National Commercial Lending Graduate School, University of Oklahoma.
Dick’s love of banking and community was a valued part of his life. After a short battle with cancer, Dick leaves his wife Toni, sons Craig, Cary and Clark (Amber) and his beloved granddaughters Addison, Mallory and Claire to remember a devoted family man, proud K-State alum, community advocate and a leader in the banking community.
Doug Wareham, KBA President and CEO, presented the posthumous award for Dick Renfro to his son, Clark Renfro, President of Exchange Bank, Salina
Pictured: KBA President & CEO Doug Wareham with Dick Renfro’s family, son Cary Renfro and wife Toni, son Clark Renfro and wife Amber, and son Craig Renfro
Farmers State Bank Begins New Century
Farmers State Bank in Dwight, KS, celebrated 101 years of business in January. With the bank’s founders pursuing the idea of a bank in 1920, the bank opened on Jan. 13, 1921. Bank officers were C.W. Johnson, president; O.J. Flack, vice president; H.R. Johnson, cashier; and E.T. Beck, assistant cashier. It has remained in the same location on the south side of Main Street for all 101 years.
Robert “Bob” Oleen, who has now passed, was just 19 years old in 1938 when he approached Mr. Beck at the bank for a job. Bob offered to work there for free for a month to demonstrate his seriousness to the duty. He was hired and, for the next 76 years, continued to work and excel at the bank until he passed in August of 2014. Bob Oleen’s son, Jan R. Oleen, a 1962 Dwight High School graduate, returned to Dwight in 1971 after serving in the military to help at the family bank. Jan Oleen is the current Chairman of the Board and President & CEO of the bank.
The Bank has weathered society’s tough economic times. Before the Oleen’s involvement, the bank withstood the economic crash of 1929, followed by the Great Depression in the 1930s. Jan Oleen recalls the challenging times of the late 1970s and early 1980s when the bank’s clients, many of whom are in agriculture, found themselves facing interest rates of 17-18% when real estate ownership changed.
Leigh Beeson, CNBT Vice President of Business Retires
After 28 years of employment with Community National Bank and Trust, Leigh Beeson is retiring. Leigh began working at the Independence branch Jan. 14, 1994, when it was Citizens National Bank, which later became Commerce and finally, Community National Bank and Trust. Beeson is currently the bank’s Vice President of Business Banking and Mortgage Specialist. She has been a pivotal part of the bank’s success in Independence. She is looking forward to her retirement and spending time with her husband, Dev, her son Ryan and working on the family ranch.
