Author: Chelsea Culp

Crystal Balentine, FNB Bank Senior Vice President & HR Officer, is a recent graduate of the inaugural class of Leadership West Kentucky (LWK).  This was the first year of the program sponsored by the West Kentucky Regional Chamber Alliance (WKRCA).  There were 29 participants from 14 counties in West Kentucky in this new program.

Members of Leadership West Kentucky live or work in the counties represented by the West Kentucky Regional Chamber Alliance including Ballard, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Christian, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Livingston, Lyon, Marshall, McCracken, and Trigg. All 14 counties had representation in the program, which was created to promote regionalism and build a network of informed citizens across community lines. The desired outcome was to instill pride in the region and focus on encouraging participants to be active in their region and community.

TVA served as the presenting sponsor of the program. Curriculum included leadership development, education on issues facing the region, relationship-building and awareness of the attributes and uniqueness of each county.

“This group of people from all over the region came together to get to know more about our local areas and to get to know each other. They have built a network of contacts they can call on each other when they have a question about another area. We hope the first class of Leadership West Kentucky will return to their communities and companies with increased skills, knowledge, perspective, and a new regionwide professional network,” said Sandra Wilson, Paducah Chamber President/CEO, who helped coordinate the program. “These leaders will have the resources to be better prepared to be catalysts in their companies and communities to further advance the region.”

The West Kentucky Regional Chamber Alliance will evaluate the program and determine the status of continuing with the program in 2024.

The class had a two-day orientation in Paducah in January and met monthly through May in locations throughout the region. The one-day sessions focused on a featured community as well as regional topics such as transportation, education, economic development, quality of life, advocacy, agriculture, and tourism. In February the class focused on Lyon/Caldwell/Crittenden counties, in March met in Murray, in April in Fulton/Hickman counties and graduated at the final session in Hopkinsville on May 25.

For more information about Leadership West Kentucky and the West Kentucky Regional Chamber Alliance, visit wkrca.org.

Members of LWK Class #1 include:

Ballard County – Sarah Drysdale, UK Cooperative Extension.

Caldwell County – Jay Campbell, Fredonia Valley Bank; Joe Pelletier, Rogers Group.

Calloway County – Shawn Touney, Murray State University.

Carlisle County – Kevyn Dunker, GEO Consultants; Jennifer Quillen, Graceland Management Services.

Christian County – Martha Argotte, United Southern Bank; Ruth Lynch, Retired, Christian Co. Board of Education; Josh Ryan, Planters Bank; DeeAnna Sova, Ascend.

Crittenden County – D’Anna Browning, City of Marion; Tonya Driver, Crittenden Co. Board of Education

Fulton County – April Gallimore, Fulton Co. Judge’s office; Susan Malone, Citizens Bank.

Graves County – Crystal Balentine, FNB Bank; Terry Bradley, Paducah Bank; Nathaniel Cox, KeyBank/City of Mayfield.

Hickman County – Justin Jackson, Jackson Consulting Firm.

Livingston County – Tyler Coleman, Farmers Bank & Trust.

Lyon County – Monica Walker

Marshall County – Dana Howard, CFSB.

McCracken County – Kenny Boyd, Baptist Health Paducah; Sarah Dallas, Paducah Bank; Leslie Heath, Keller Williams Realty.

Trigg County – Scott Sholar, Tennessee Valley Authority.

Representing Multiple Counties – Betsy Burkeen, United Way of Western Kentucky; Stephanie Moss, Child Watch; Ryan Tolbert, Atmos Energy; Austin Wetherington, U.S. Cong. James Comer’s Office.

1^st Row (L to R): Martha Argotte, United Southern Bank; Crystal Balentine, FNB Bank; Kenny Boyd, Baptist Health Paducah; Terry Bradley, Paducah Bank; D’Anna Browning, City of Marion; Betsy Burkeen, United Way of Western Kentucky; Jay Campbell, Fredonia Valley Bank; Tyler Coleman, Farmers Trust Bank;

2^nd Row: Nate Cox, KeyBank/City of Mayfield; Sarah Dallas, Paducah Bank; Tonya Driver, Crittenden Co. Board of Education; Sarah Drysdale, UK Cooperative Extension; Kevyn Dunker, GEO Consultants; April Gallimore, Fulton Co. Judge Executive’s Office; Leslie Heath, Keller Williams Realty; Dana Howard, CFSB;

3^rd Row: Justin Jackson, Jackson Consulting Firm; Ruth Lynch, Retired, Christian Co. Bd. of Education; Susan Malone, Citizens Bank; Stephanie Moss, Child Watch; Joe Pelletier, Rogers Group; Jennifer Quillen, Graceland Management Services; Josh Ryan, Planters Bank; Scott Sholar, Tennessee Valley Authority;

4^th Row: DeeAnna Sova, Ascend Elements; Ryan Tolbert, Atmos Energy; Shawn Touney, Murray State University; Monica Walker; Austin Wetherington, Cong. James Comer’s Office.

FNB Bank is proud to announce that they have donated over $21,000 back to Mayfield, Graves County, Trigg County, and Marshall County Schools through their Spirit Debit Card Program. These donations to the school systems are a result of FNB’s 1^st quarter 2023 Spirit Debit Card Program.

“We are proud to offer our exclusive FNB Spirit Debit Card Program to our local schools,” stated Brooke Wiles, FNB Marketing Director.  “Our customers have pride in knowing that they are making a difference in the lives of our youth by simply swiping their Spirit Debit Cards at the checkout.  The donated funds allow the school systems the opportunity to do more for their students and staff, which is an invaluable asset to our community.”

The FNB Spirit Debit Card Program allows FNB and their customers the opportunity to give back to their local schools when they use their FNB debit card.  FNB currently offers Spirit Debit Cards for Mayfield, Graves County, Trigg County, and Marshall County Schools.  The Spirit Card works like a traditional debit card and for each signature-based transaction (not using your PIN), FNB donates $0.10 to the corresponding school.  The tracking process is hassle free for the card holder, as FNB does all the tracking and submits the check to each school on a quarterly basis.  The donated funds are utilized at the school’s discretion.

In 2022, FNB donated over $81,000 to their participating schools through the Spirit Debit Card Program.  To learn more about the Spirit Debit Card Program, stop by your nearest FNB Office or visit www.GrowWithFNB.com.

FNB Bank, founded in 1875, is one of the oldest banks in the state of Kentucky with assets exceeding 650 million.  FNB ranks among the highest in the nation in the area of safety and soundness. FNB is a 2021-2023 ‘Best Places to Work in Kentucky’ Small Business Category Award Winner.  The bank currently has ten locations located in Graves, McCracken, Calloway, Trigg and Marshall County. FNB is Member FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender.

FNB Bank has been awarded an “Outstanding” rating, the highest rating possible, from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for our efforts that support the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) for the third consecutive exam period.  The FDIC recently conducted their examination process, which covered the period from March 2020 to March 2023, and evaluated the bank’s lending and community development services based in the bank’s service area.  By awarding this rating, the FDIC acknowledged that FNB is continuing to meet the needs of the communities it services, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, and is consistent with safe and sound banking operations.

“We are honored to receive the Outstanding CRA rating for the third consecutive time from the FDIC.  It is a great accomplishment to have the continued efforts of our staff recognized by this distinction that very few banks achieve, all while working during a global pandemic and after tornado devastation,” said Brooke Wiles, FNB’s VP/Marketing Director and CRA Officer.  “The rating recognizes FNB’s ongoing commitment to meeting the credit and development needs of all people in the communities we serve.”

Banks are evaluated on a variety of information pertaining to the communities they serve and how they rate against their peers in the areas of lending, investments, and community services.  Regulators spend several weeks reviewing each bank’s loans and the community services they provide, while also interviewing a variety of people within the communities about economic development trends, etc.  An overall CRA rating is then assigned to each bank using a four-tiered rating system of Outstanding, Satisfactory, Needs to Improve, or Substantial Noncompliance.

FNB Bank, founded in 1875, is one of the oldest banks in the state of Kentucky with assets exceeding $650 million.  FNB ranks among the highest in the nation in the area of safety and soundness. The bank currently has ten locations located in Graves, McCracken, Calloway, Trigg and Marshall County. FNB is Member FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender.

FNB Bank is proud to announce its recognition as one of the 2023 Best Places to Work in Kentucky winners in the Small Business Category. The announcement comes from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, the Kentucky Society for Human Resource Management (KYSHRM) and ClearPath Mutual Insurance Company, who released the complete list of the 19^th Annual Best Places to Work in Kentucky Award Winners on Wednesday, March 15th. View the alphabetical list of winners here: https://www.bestplacestoworkkentucky.com/awards/winners.  Official rankings will be announced on June 8, 2023.

Winners from across the state have been selected in three categories: small companies of 15-149 employees, medium companies of 150-499 employees and large companies consisting of more than 500 employees (categories based on number of U.S. employees, only Kentucky employees surveyed). The selection process, managed by Workforce Research Group, is based on an assessment of the company’s employee policies and procedures and the results of an internal employee survey.

The competition is a multi-year initiative designed to motivate companies in the Commonwealth to focus, measure and move their workplace environments toward excellence. Numerous studies show a strong correlation between profitability and creating a good place to work.

For 75 years, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce has represented the interests of member businesses throughout Kentucky – from family-owned shops to Fortune 500 companies. As the state’s premier business advocate, the Kentucky Chamber is a recognized and respected voice across the Commonwealth, working every day to unite business and advance Kentucky. Kentucky SHRM consists of 12 local chapters that provide ongoing education and leadership opportunities for over 3,000 human resource professionals throughout the Commonwealth. For more details about Best Places to Work in Kentucky, visit www.bestplacestoworkkentucky.com.

FNB Bank, founded in 1875, is one of the oldest banks in the state of Kentucky with assets exceeding $650 million.  FNB ranks among the highest in the nation in the area of safety and soundness. The bank currently has ten locations located in Graves, McCracken, Calloway, Trigg and Marshall County. FNB is Member FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender.

A check presentation was held on Tuesday, March 7th to present DREAM Together funds to Home Team Title in the amount of $17,250.  Home Team Title is the latest local business to take advantage of the DREAM Together partnership program offered by FNB Bank and First Kentucky Bank.  The DREAM acronym stands for Downtown Revitalization & Economic Advancement for Mayfield.  Together, both Mayfield-based banks have partnered to provide incentives and low interest loans for businesses that want to rebuild and invest again in downtown Mayfield.  The collective goal of FKB and FNB is to stimulate economic development and put jobs back in one of the hardest hit areas in the community.

Home Team Title is now open at their new location at 317 S Ninth Street. Their former office building was damaged beyond repair during the December 10, 2021, tornado that swept through Mayfield. Home Team Title offers real estate title and closing services. Home Team Title is affiliated with the law firm of Greg Taylor & Associates and is owned by Greg Taylor.

About FNB Bank, Inc.

FNB Bank, founded in 1875, is one of the oldest banks in the state of Kentucky with assets exceeding $680 million.  FNB ranks among the highest in the nation in the area of safety and soundness. FNB is a 2021 and 2022 ‘Best Places to Work in Kentucky’ Small Business Category Award Winner.  The bank currently has ten locations located in Graves, McCracken, Calloway, Trigg and Marshall County. FNB is Member FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender.

About First Kentucky Bank

First Kentucky Bank is a Kentucky-based community bank established in 1899 with assets exceeding $565 million. First Kentucky provides a personal approach to finances for those in six counties, including Carlisle, Graves, Livingston, Marshall, Muhlenberg, and Ohio. They are committed to bringing customers simple ways to connect, grow, and protect their financial health in both personal and business endeavors.  First Kentucky is a Member FDIC bank and an Equal Housing Lender.