Bank president didn't want to go into banking at first
LANCASTER – Standing Stone Bank President Jeff Beard didn't want to get into the banking industry while a student at Tiffin University.
"I really had always wanted to own a small business," he said. "So my master plan was to start out after college at a public accounting firm, which I did. But I thought I'd be auditing small businesses and learning the ropes there for a couple years, then try to find my own small business one way or another."
But Beard, 37 and a Tiffin native, was told he would audit banks on his first day with the accounting firm.
"And then I thought that this may not be the longest tenure here," he said. "Because I just never really had any real big interest in banking. What I found, though, as I audited banks for 51/2 years is that community banks are small businesses. And they help small businesses tremendously and the community in general."
Because of that impact, Beard eventually enjoyed banking. However, he left the accounting firm for about two years and worked in financial reporting for a fast food company.
"I learned a lot there, but corporate life just really wasn't for me," Beard said. "There's nothing wrong with it, but it just didn't fit my mindset. Like I said, I learned a lot and enjoyed the people there. But I really felt like I wanted to get back into community banking."
So he eventually ended up becoming the chief financial officer at Standing Stone before becoming president in 2013.
Beard said he occasionally deals with customers on a one-to-one basis, but would like to do so more in the future. He said his job largely consists of overseeing completion of various projects and meeting bank goals, among other things. Beard said he tries not to micromanage his employees, though.
"I don't think that works and I don't think that putting a tremendous amount of pressure on people to get things done works either," he said. "But having said that, I definitely like to review where the projects are and how we've come out. I know that I probably ask a lot of questions and ask for some updates and revisions. I try to be hands-off, but in the end I still want to be able to look at the project and say that we did it in the right way."
Besides the main downtown location on Wheeling Street, there is a new Standing Stone branch on Ety Road. Beard said he would not rule out expansion in the future.
"I think that would be a natural for us as we grow and do different things," he said. "But that's not a focus right now. The focus is definitely, how do we satisfy the needs of the Lancaster community first and foremost? We've certainly got this office (downtown) where we do a lot of business. But now Ety Road is only a few months old. We've got to get that up and running and up to a certain size where we feel like that would do well for us. Then we'll figure out where we want to go."
Beard and his wife, Michelle, have three children. He said most of his activities away from work focus on his family. However, he is a runner and completed a half-marathon last year and plans to run another one in the fall.
jbarron@lancastereaglegazette.com
740-681-4340
Twitter: @JeffDBarron