Milford PA

To the editor:

Few scheduling conflicts would have caused me to miss the honoring of Jeff Bank President George Kinne by the Sullivan County Partnership with their Distinguished Service Award at their recent annual 30th anniversary gala.

As a heavy user of Jeff Bank’s digital and branch assets, it’s easy for me to see the transformation Mr. Kinne spearheaded of the bank at every level, seemingly always tinkering, improving and modernizing every facet of the bank’s operations, large and small.

In the 25 years I’ve been using the Bank, it has changed from an institution whose motto seemed to be ‘that’s the way its always been done’ to a bank that has responded successfully to changing times and rigorous competition.

While previous presidents and the Bank’s long history of intelligent Board of Director leadership (including hiring Mr. Kinne in the first place as a commercial loan officer) provided the backdrop for the Bank’s turn to modernization, Mr. Kinne, without a doubt, is boldly leading the Bank and its 100+ employees and its 10+ branches into its bright, modern, secure, customer-focused future.

As impressively, the idea that the current Board of Directors identified the need for a new generation of leadership (and successfully found it) at a critical juncture in the banking industry  – with online banking, internet, security, ATM’s and a hundred other new banking tools and regulations seemingly emerging daily – is a testament to the continued leadership that has kept the bank around and serving the community for 100+ years.

Whatever success I’ve earned through hardwork and perseverance, none of it was possible without a banking partner like Jeff Bank.  It’s one of my favorite stories to tell whenever anyone asks about my business journey in Sullivan County over the last 2+ decades.