2011 Rising Stars in Banking: Lori Heath

Lori Heath, president and CEO of The Farmer's State Bank in Brookston, Ind., has harnessed the power of positive thinking to build a successful career in banking..Not even a recent Monday-morning power outage at the bank can bring down the 2011 NorthWestern Financial Review Rising Star. She simply rolls up her sleeves and helps her staff fire up generators to run the computers so the bank can remain open despite a lack of air conditioning.."No matter how frustrating things get, you can't let them pull you under," Heath said. "There's nothing that bad. It will be a better day tomorrow. You just have to stop and assess the situation and count the blessings that you do have.".Heath credits her positive attitude to her rural upbringing on a grain and livestock farm 15 miles west of Brookston.."I watched my parents work hard every day and take care of my two brothers, me, and my sister who was handicapped for 13 years before she died," Heath said. "They never got down.".Heath's upbringing almost led her down a very different career path. Tending to the hogs on the family farm prompted her to attend Purdue University in nearby West Lafayette, Ind., to study veterinary science. But after taking a biology class, she discovered that she didn't like the science requirements of animal care. During college, Heath found her life's calling when she took a part-time job as a teller at a Lafayette bank.."I loved working at the bank and making connections with people," she said. "It's something you never get bored with.".Heath gained broad-based experience ranging from customer service to backroom operations working in the lending and trust departments and even as an internal auditor from 1989 to 1995..The Farmers State Bank recruited Heath in 1995 to train as a loan officer, and within two years she was on a succession track. In 1997 she stepped into a vice president position and became more involved in policymaking. She joined the bank's board of directors in 2000. In 2004 she was named executive vice president and in 2009 was appointed president and CEO.."It happened naturally," she said. "The more they gave me, the more I kept trying to meet needs.".One of Heath's early accomplishments at the bank was helping the institution catch up with technology. She implemented lending software and hired an information technology officer..As times and technology rapidly change, Heath is focusing on keeping the $70 million bank safe and sound.."We've stopped trying to be everything to everybody," she said. "We decided to specialize in what we are very good at, which is small business lending, mortgages, and ag lending that require high levels of personal service. We aren't a big retail bank with a top internet site and billions in assets.".Instead, The Farmers State Bank has become a hub in the community, not just for banking, but for people looking for resources and expertise, Heath said. "We've literally opened up our doors. We lend ourselves out as needed.".The bank staff of 18 — 17 of whom are women — organize the Brookston Apple-Popcorn Festival every September, run the Fish Fry, and help out at the annual Indiana Fiddlers Gathering in June. They also volunteer at local Lion's Club, Rotary, and 4-H events..In addition, Heath serves on the Museums at Prophetstown advisory committee, oversees the high school girls who volunteer through the Indiana Sunshine Society, and works with the Tippecanoe Arts Federation Taste of Tippecanoe. She is also a 2011 graduate of Leadership Lafayette.."When you work alongside the community, there's a deeper appreciation than just giving a check," she said. "You build a connection and people see that you are willing to roll up your sleeves and get dirty.".Connecting with people and working hard has remained important to Heath throughout her career.."I never ask someone to do something I haven't done myself," she said. "That's from my upbringing. My dad had a strong work ethic and was always getting in there and helping out.."If I don't understand something someone on my staff is going through, I try to sit down and do it. I really care about my staff and what is going on in their lives. We are very much a family here; we even pick up each other's kids to help out.".Heath, who left college her sophomore year to help care for her sister, has gone back to Purdue to finish her undergraduate degree. Someday she hopes to go to law school..She has no plans of leaving the bank or her hometown. "I work with great people; it's a great community, and I am very happy here." she said. "I can't imagine the grass is greener anywhere else."Jackie Herman, Flagship Bank, Wayzata, Minn.Doug Truex, Iowa Falls State Bank, Iowa Falls, IowaDavid Hanson, American State Bank and Trust Company, Williston, N.D.Dan Fagan, Tradition Capital Bank, Edina, Minn.Michelle Gross, State Bank of Bement, Ill.Keith Willcut, Peoples Community Bank, Greenville, Mo.