Community Advocate Spotlight: Steve Peotter, One Community Bank

The following is a brief interview between WBA President and CEO Rose Oswald Poels and One Community Bank President and CEO Steve Peotter.

Rose: How did you first get into the banking industry?

Steve: From a young age, I’ve known that my career path would be centered towards helping others, alongside a strong interest in finance. My career began in consumer finance, which provided a foundation to explore other areas including mortgage lending, retail banking, and commercial lending. It’s been rewarding to experience all aspects of banking and ultimately lead to my current role in community banking. Being involved in my community has always been a passion of mine. Currently being in community banking is the best approach for me and it allows me to continue assisting others while investing in communities.

What is your favorite aspect of your role at the bank?

Supporting colleagues in their professional journey is something I truly enjoy. From promotions to new roles, or simply enhancing existing responsibilities, the support we provide for each other is inspiring. Witnessing the growth and joy of our team members at One Community Bank is my favorite aspect of our work culture.

What do you wish the general public understood about the banking industry?

Main Street community banks are different than Wall Street banks. Community banks are here to focus on clients, whether that be local small business owners, first time homebuyers, high school graduates, or other members of the community. We specialize in serving clients, supporting colleagues, and investing in our communities. Multinational banks headquartered on Wall Street have a different focus, which may not center on their clients. With the current growth of digital banking, community banks can deliver the same online banking experience that multinational banks do. As locally owned institutions, community banks are committed to surpassing expectations and providing outstanding service.

Where do you believe the industry’s greatest challenges are in the next three to five years?

I believe the industry’s greatest challenge in the next three to five years will be bringing in young professionals. Community banks strive to provide work life balance for colleagues and have the ability for a rapid career progression if you desire it. We have a great ability to provide purposeful work while continuing to grow and evolve in our industry. To young individuals considering their next career steps, I highly recommend looking into community banking. It’s a highly rewarding and exciting field.

Please describe your current role at your bank and share with us one of your more rewarding experiences (e.g., A time you had to go above and beyond to help a customer, a memorable customer interaction, stepping in to help the local community after a disaster, or something more personal, etc.).

Throughout my career, I’ve had many rewarding experiences. One that comes to mind took place back in 2020. The pandemic was just beginning and happened to overlap with Girl Scout cookie season. I encountered a group of Girl Scouts selling cookies in person at the entrance to a grocery store near one of our bank locations. In talking with the troop leader, her anxiety around being in person with her troop interacting with the general public was apparent. She had the desire to support the girls’ cookie sales goal, but also keeping them safe in what at the time was an unknown and very scary environment.

In that moment, I decided Team OCB would purchase all the boxes of cookies the troop had with them. This decision wasn’t about the cookies; it was about enabling the troop to hit their goal for the Girls Scouts and allowing the troop to head home safely. Bringing those cookies back to OCB and sharing them with my colleagues was another opportunity to spread kindness and a reminder of the impact of supporting our community.