Pub. 4 2015 Issue 6

August 2015 7 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 Bob and Mary Jayne married in 1974, Bob was given an opportunity to fill the cashier position at Allen County Bank in Iola, where he worked from 1974 to 1977. In 1977 the Leftwich’s moved to Wellington where Bob was employed at First National Bank as the cashier. He was able to promote through departments and gain experience that presented the opportunity to be named President in 1990. First National Bank in Wellington and Caldwell State Bank in Caldwell merged in 2012 to become a new state charter called Impact Bank. The main bank is still in Wellington with the bank in Caldwell serving as a branch location. Bob stated that he has stayed and grown with this bank because, “John T. Stewart III has been, and continues to be, my mentor and friend, providing great insight and direction. Our bank is an extension of family; John has instilled a family atmosphere that is nurturing and makes Impact Bank a great place to work.” Bob said he is also blessed with an excellent staff at the banks that help him enjoy his standard morning phrase of “It is another day in Paradise. For it truly is paradise; as I am surrounded by great people.” Bob and Mary Jayne have five children and two grandchildren with another on the way. Their oldest son, James, is the Sumner County manager for Security 1st Title LLC. Their son, Joel, and daughter in-law, Shannon, live in Washington, D.C. where Joel serves as the Staff Director of the Senate Ag Committee and Shannon is the Director of Human Resources for “So Others Might Eat”. Their third son Jon and his wife, Amy, live in Gainesville, FL, with their two daughters, Megan and Emma. Jon is employed by First Bank and Trust in Gainesville and Amy is a genetics technologist at The University of Florida. Katie, and her husband, Cody Shehane, live in Ft. Worth, TX, and are expecting their first baby. Both engineers, Katie is on the logistics management team for Pier 1 Imports and the couple is developing a company using drone technology. Cody is also working as an engineer for Garmin. Their youngest daughter Mary Anne and her husband Stephen Szczepanski, live in Wichita where Mary Anne is an employment specialist for Workforce Centers of South Central Kansas. Stephen is working as an engineer for Johnson Controls, Inc. “One of the greatest joys of Mary Jayne and I are the successes of our children and their families. They are all very unique individuals with a multitude of interests but one common family bond.” Bob enjoys traveling, dabbling in golf, and trying his hand at yard work and gardening. His true passion is grilling at home in his outdoor kitchen. He has attended several one day schools where top chefs teach new techniques for grilling and smoking. He and Mary Jayne laugh as they tell a story about the stove going out on Thanksgiving and Bob prepared the entire Thanksgiving meal on the outdoor kitchen grill and smoker. As a community banker, Bob has realized that banking is a common denominator in everyone’s life. Everyone needs a bank at some point in their life. Community banks have a purpose, a mission to fulfill, whether it is a deposit account, buying a car, a home, a business or the farm or at times just sitting down and talking with our customers about their goals and dreams. Bankers serve their communities on many levels. Bob’s mission is to enlighten legislators as to how their decisions affect the everyday life of their constituents. “Our mission as bankers is to show our legislators that one regulatory size does not fit all. We need to show the regulators that they should tailor bank regulations to the business model and risk level of community banks. Just as we, community banks ‘tailor’ our business model to serve the needs of our communities the mega banks and our Kansas community banks are by definition BANKS; however, we do not have the same business model or the same risk factors. The early morning coffee group at Daylight Donuts is our primary regulator. We must take care of our community members, businesses and farmers in order to stay in business. Community banks must tell our real life stories with everyday examples of the financial needs of our citizens, businesses, and farmers.”