Pub. 9 2020 Issue 1

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 STRONG START FOR KBA 2020 By Doug Wareham, KBA President and CEO Y our Kansas Bankers Association (KBA) is off to a very STRONG start in 2020, thanks in large part to the generous financial support already received from KBA member banks and several KBA associate members for the KBA Strong 2020 Capital Campaign. I also want to take this opportunity to thank every KBA member bank and KBA associate member that has renewed their annual membership investment in the KBA. The deadline for renewing KBA membership is March 1st and we are optimistic our renewal rate will exceed 99%. The foundational strength of the KBA lies with the industry- wide support we receive from Kansas banks and our associate members, and we simply can’t overstate our appreciation for the collective investment made with the common goal of strengthening the banking industry in Kansas. With respect to the KBA Strong 2020 Capital Campaign, I’m very happy to report that total contributions to date for Year 1 of the campaign have yielded more than $265,000 as of January 31, and that number will grow as additional banks submit their annual membership statements. These additional resources are already being targeted and utilized to meet the objectives of KBA’s current strategic plan, with a specific focus on bolstering our efforts to achieve tax equity with non-bank competitors. KBA Strong 2020 will also enable us to launch a statewide marketing campaign educating policymakers, the general public and our future workforce about the vital economic role played by every bank serving every rural and urban Kansas community. The development of our marketing effort is underway, and the final product, including positive industry image and workforce development tools, will be scheduled for launch this summer. Finally, resources from KBA Strong 2020 are enabling a much-needed renovation of your Association’s headquarters in Topeka. That includes a modernization of our technological capabilities, making the KBA a more effective advocate, more effective educator and more efficient service provider for our member banks. And finally, I hope you will mark your calendars for the important events highlighted below. KBA’s education department, guided with input from dozens of bankers serving on our various planning committees and our KBA division boards, have once again developed a robust line up of educational opportunities for virtually every position on your bank staff team. I look forward to seeing and catching up with each of you at the KBA sponsored events below in the weeks and months ahead. And most of all, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or anyone on the KBA staff team if we can ever be of assistance in 2020. We’re at Your Service! Kansas Ag Bankers Conference — March 4-5, Manhattan Tri-State Leadership and HR Conference — March 24-25, Overland Park MOKAN Trust Conference — May 6-8, Overland Park Women in Banking Conference — May 28-29, Olathe CEO Forum/Annual Meeting — August 6-8, Colorado Springs YBOK Fall Conference — September 9-11, Topeka Annual Conference for Lenders — October 1-2, Manhattan KBA Trust Conference — October 22-23, Lawrence Economic Outlook & Risk Management Conference — November 4-5, Manhattan A complete list of seminars and workshops may be found at www.ksbankers.com .