First State Bank promises personal touch

SYCAMORE – Advancement in technology over the past 10 years has had a profound effect on banking.

When your app won’t work, when the website is boggling your mind, the folks at the recently opened First State Bank, 1940 DeKalb Ave., urge you to come in so they can help.

“All the technology is great, but when your app doesn’t work on your phone, you want to be able to walk in and ask, ‘Can you help me make this work?’” branch manager Jacque Schairer said. “Here, you get a real, live person to do that, and to get it going for you.

“We’ll sit down with them, walk them through it, get them signed in and help navigate through their questions and make it secure. We make them comfortable with it.”

The community bank opened July 17 after breaking ground last fall. Headquartered in Mendota, First State is predominantly found in the bigger rural cities in Illinois – Bloomington, Ottawa, St. Charles, and now Sycamore, for example.

“We try to be in larger towns in rural areas,” said Bill Davey, president of First State’s north operations. “We’re an agricultural and commercial-type bank.”

He said whereas bigger banks might not give someone seeking a small loan the time of day, his door is open.

“I won’t worry about a small loan, whereas bigger places might not even look at you,” he said. “Yet we have all the technology the bigger banks have.”

Davey has been in the local banking industry about 30 years, and Schairer has been in the game about 15 years – they worked together at NB&T before making the move to First State.

The staff of nearly a dozen has rounded out nicely at the Sycamore branch, although Schairer said she’s always accepting applications.

She’s always looking for people-first employees.

“The industry has changed dramatically over the years, the past 10 years more so than any other 10 years,” Schairer said. “It’s made it so much more important to have that personal touch with customers, to make them feel they’re part of the process, and that the government hasn’t gotten between them and their bank.”