President: Greg Ohlendorf

Brief History of First Community Bank and Trust: Started in 1916 as Farmers State Bank when a group of local businessmen bought out the assets of First State Bank of Beecher. The bank was housed in two previous locations prior to its current location on Dixie Highway in Beecher. There have been eight presidents in the bank’s 90-year history. A second location in Peotone opened for business in 1996. Also in 1996, the bank’s name was changed to First Community Bank and Trust to reflect its new, multi-community stature and to reinforce its local roots. Throughout its history, First Community Bank and Trust has set the standard for community banking, introducing the first ATM in the area in 1987, launching real-time on-line electronic banking for both business and personal accounts, and continuing to offer other high-tech products, while never losing sight of our founders’ original intention – to provide needed products and services while maintaining the high standards of personalized service that our customers want and deserve.

Memorable moments in company’s history:

• Opening our Peotone location in 1996
• Reaching $100 million in total assets in 2003
• Celebrating our 90th Anniversary in 2006

Secret to success: As “Your Friends in the Neighborhood”, our number one priority is to provide our customers with personalized customer service, to make them feel welcome every time they enter one of our locations or call us. Because the majority of our employees are local residents, we have a strong connection to the communities we serve. Our extensive community involvement, whether it is sponsoring sports teams, donating to various causes, or volunteering our time to local events, also exemplifies our commitment to support the communities that have supported us for 90 years.

Other information to be featured: The bank has been a consistent leader in offering innovative products and services to its customers, often years ahead of others in the marketplace. This has allowed our customers to bank locally and still have access to what are often considered only “big bank” services. That combination of local ownership, local employees, and innovative services speaks strongly for the future of community banking in the area.