Pub. 2 2013 Issue 5

l e a d i n g a d v o c a t e f o r t h e b a n k i n g i n d u s t r y i n k a n s a s 6 T he proud tradi- tion of support- ing worthy youth and adult leadership programs that focus on promoting or enhancing the agricultural communi- ty in Kansas has continued during the evolution from the Kansas Ag Bankers – Ag Reps Orga- nization (KABAR) to the Kansas Ag Bankers Association to today’s KBA – Kansas Ag Bankers (KAB) Division. With collective support from 133 ag banks from across Kansas, KBA’s KAB Division served as the primary sponsor for the 12th Annual State FFA Career Fair held in conjunction with the 85th Annual State FFA Convention held in Manhattan, Kansas the final week of May. The career fair exposed nearly 2,000 Kansas FFAers to nearly 50 business, industry and educa- tional organizations at the KSU Alumni Center. In addition to sponsoring the career fair, the KAB Division also hosted a special luncheon for 195 delegates representing FFA chapters across the state. The featured speaker at the luncheon was KAB Division Vice President Troy Soukup (Citizens State Bank & Trust Co. at Ellsworth) who stressed the important role Kansas community banks play in supporting production agriculture and agribusiness. Soukup also highlighted career opportunities in rural Kansas banks that could be a perfect career fit for young professionals wanting to utilize the knowledge and life skills honed through their FFA experiences. Promoting career opportunities in banking at the 12th Kansas FFA Career Fair is KAB Division Vice President Troy Soukup, National FFAMascot Flyte the Owl, and Doug Wareham, KBA staff. K BA will partner with the Gradu- ate School of Banking at the University of Wiscon- sin-Madison for Employ- ment Law Compliance for Banks to be held on Wednesday, August 28 at the Courtyard Marriott in Junction City. This timely one-day workshop, developed specifically for bankers, will provide relevant, practical and up-to-date information on a variety of issues relating to employment law, including recent developments, greatest risks and how to prevent them, policies and procedures, hiring and termination procedures, leaves of absence, discrimination and how to avoid liability, social media implications and developments, and more. Please keep in mind that compliance with employment law is every manager’s responsibility and cannot be delegated entirely to your HR professional. Watch for registration information to be available around mid-July. We are pleased to announce our third annual Chief Financial Officer/ Controller Forum to be held Tuesday, September 17 at the KBA office in Topeka. Our first and second Forums held in September of 2011 and 2012 were nearly sold out, and we are expecting an equally impressive attendance this year. This program is a little different than most we conduct as it is more of an information exchange than a lecture. Paul Sims, Guided Solutions, will facilitate a discussion of such issues as checking accounts, overdraft charges, managing net interest margins, non-interest income, managing expenses, regulatory challenges, technology investments, liquidity and asset/liability tools, outsourcing, vendor management, branch performance, board reporting, account and tax issues, and whatever else the group wants to discuss. As an added bonus, participants will have the opportunity to submit topics and areas of interest ahead of time, so Paul can be prepared to address your specific issues. Thank you to associate member Allen Gibbs & Houlik for offering to sponsor lunch and refreshments again this year. Join us on September 17 to participate in real-time, real-world discus - sions and obtain proven strategies that will increase your effectiveness and contribution to your management team and enable your bank to thrive in this challenging financial services environment. Enrollment will be available towards the end of July and limited to the first 25 registrants. Kansas Ag Bankers United in Support for Kansas FFA By DougWareham, KBA SVP Government Relations Educational Program Highlights for Fall By Becky Tongish, KBA SVP Education