Listen Up: Taking bold and brave action

“Every [fintech] product we’ve ever launched … has a beta customer, someone who’s willing to come along and help us … As the banker, you get a low-cost solution—compared to what it will cost once it’s fully vetted—that’s more tailored to your needs. I get benefits out of it [too], I get candid feedback.” —Greg Ohlendorf

“As we always do and will always continue to do [regarding advocacy], we were bold, we were brave and we stood up for community bankers. I think for me that is the call to action here.” —Greg Ohlendorf

“Relationships do matter, and that’s one of the important aspects of the Accelerator program I want all the other bankers to recognize. You get to actually meet, know and work closely with the people making decisions and running these companies … When you have challenges, you know you can pick up the phone and call them.” —Charles Potts

“In the ICBA universe, the bankers aren’t competitive—we’re friends. And so, if somebody asks me, ‘What’s your experience with Teslar?’, I’m going to tell them the truth because I’ve got that reputation on the line to do that. My experience with Teslar has been good, so I can tell a good story. If that helps Joe get the next customer, I’m more than the annually recurring revenue that First Community Bank and Trust provides; we’re more important than that. We have reasons to do business with one another … Those are things that you just don’t have happen with some of the larger providers.” —Greg Ohlendorf

“I’ve got bank partners like Greg and others that I’ve learned I can call up and say, ‘Hey, I don’t want to beat around the bush. No B.S., do you like [my product]? Do you not like it?’ ‘I hate it.’ ‘Okay, good, how can I make it better?’ … You can’t have honest feedback if you don’t have true relationships” —Joe Ehrhardt