Pub. 2 2013 Issue 6

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 8 L eonard Wolfe is a first generation bank- er with a strength of character and unassuming nature that draws respect from those around him. He learned his work ethic early as he watched his father make a living in the agricultural industry while Leonard ran a newspaper route, worked on hay crews and mowed lawns. He met his wife, Beth, when he was 7 years old, they started dating when he was 14 and they grew up together. “I don’t have many memories that are pre-Beth,” Leonard says with a smile. “We’ve built our dreams together.” They married in 1977 after Beth had played a year of college bas- ketball at Independence Community College. The two moved to Winfield to attend Southwestern College. In his last year of school Leonard was working two jobs; painter by day and making pizzas at night when he received a phone call from his hometown banker in Cedar Vale requesting a meeting. He was offered a job in the bank as an agriculture representative two afternoons a week until he graduated. Later that spring, Leonard and Beth welcomed their first child. With time and experience as an ag representative he moved to an ag lender position and ran the insurance agency out of the bank for a period of time. Leonard remained in the Cedar Vale State Bank for 7 ½ years when he was offered a position as President of Home State Bank in Erie, working for Virgil Lair. He was only 28 years old and the sky was bright. Over the next 12 years he managed two additional banks in Thayer and Parsons. “I have a lot of respect for Virgil Lair,” Leon - ard stated. “He started his own bank from the ground up and he has a powerful work ethic. Virgil has very clean banks and I learned a lot about banking from him. I’m still close to his family today.” In 1998 Leonard moved his family to Clay Center where he was hired to work for Gold Banc, a publicly traded company. His first duty was to facilitate a merger between Peoples National Bank in Clay Center and Tri-County National Bank in Linn that subsequently operated as Peoples National Bank. Leonard served as the President of the newly merged Peoples National Bank in Clay Center and also served on the acquisition team for Gold Banc, which was in a strong growth mode. After only 18 months he took on the responsibilities of Regional President while maintaining his duties in Clay Center. With oversight of 12 banks that stretched from Alma to Colby, Leonard spent several days a week away from home. In 2001, Gold Banc added three more banks, including the Marysville location, to his charge. In a short time Leonard had gained great experience in acquiring banks and obtained valuable knowledge in due diligence. Then in 2002, he received instruction from executives at Gold Banc to offer four western Kansas banks plus the branch in Alma for sale. He helped facilitate the sale of those banks and gleaned knowledge from this process as well. In July 2003, Leonard received a call from the Chairman of Gold Banc with instructions to facilitate the sale of the branches in Marysville, Seneca, Sabetha, Clay Center, Linn, Washington and Concordia. Leonard went home to Beth and told her that he thought he could put together an investment group to buy the banks. She gave him her blessing and he started meeting with people he wanted to work with. With a top notch management team he acquired the charter from Bill Sheik in Axtell who still serves on the board today. With perseverance he was able to meet the deadline and put together the necessary capital to purchase the bank in 45 days. In a humble tone, Leonard states, “I couldn’t have accomplished this without the incredible team of people that were on my side. Tim Allen played a tremendous role in the day to day transactions and keeping the bank running as we put the deal together. He has been and still is my right hand man. Matt Radet- ic, Rolf, Perrin & Associates, was our consultant and our corporate attorney, Joe Holman, was instrumental in putting all the paperwork together. Both the regulators from the Federal Reserve and the State Bank Commissioners Office were very supportive and helpful with information. One state regulator told me that no one had ever done this before, but we closed the deal on February 13, 2004 which just happened to be Friday the 13th,” he said with a smile. The first day of business, the bank assets totaled $320 million and today United Bank & Trust is a $550 million bank with 15 branches in nine communities. United Bank & Trust employs 110 people with little turnover and high staff satisfaction. Executive Vice President Tim Allen, has worked with Leonard for 15 years and he is quick to point out that “there is a safe environment in the bank where you can play devil’s advocate and challenge status quo in order to expand and grow. It is a family ori- ented environment so you see kids around after school and there is a Meet KBA Chairman Leonard Wolfe Leonard and Beth Wolfe enjoying the Legislative Affairs reception at the Ritz-Carlton in Penta- gon City in June 2013.