Growing a community bank isn’t just about amassing deposits and making loans—it’s about building strong community relationships. 

A longtime commitment to sustainable, customer-centered growth enabled $220 million-asset Wyoming Community Bank (WCB) to make the largest gift in its 27-year history. The community bank contributed $250,000 to the Riverton Medical District (RMD) to help build a new hospital in the bank’s hometown of Riverton, Wyoming. 

When the WCB board heard the RMD needed funds to build a new hospital, members jumped at the opportunity to help. 

An opportunity to give back

“All the [WCB] directors have been very supportive of RMD through individual giving through the years,” says Corte McGuffey, RMD board chair, WCB board member and CEO of bulk mineral transportation business Bonneville Transloaders, Inc. (BTI). “They know how important this project is and how important healthcare is to a small rural community.”

It is a vital project to show up for. The facility, which will offer dozens of in-demand treatments, including 24/7 surgery and specialty care, is forecast to employ 140 staff members and generate $25 million in economic activity. This will help address the steady decline in accessible medical care in Riverton, a result of the growing trend of private hospital acquisitions. 

Collaborating for a healthier future

WCB opened its doors in 1998 as Riverton’s only independent bank, immediately facing the challenge of building trust in a market dominated by larger institutions. 

But what started as a small downtown loan production office grew into today’s thriving community bank, with four locations and a powerful people-first mindset. Decades of steady growth have strengthened its business and cash reserves, making the hospital donation possible.

Scheduled to open to the public in September 2026, the new two-story, 71,000-square-foot hospital will be built in the Eastern Shoshone Business Park. The RMD received initial funding from a USDA Rural Development Community Facilities low-interest loan, federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money distributed through the state of Wyoming, and a land donation from the local Eastern Shoshone Tribe, laying the groundwork for the hospital build. 

However, by fall 2024, the project faced a $1 million shortfall. 

With only a few months to account for all the funds needed to break ground, McGuffey devised a plan to secure the necessary funds. 

“We didn’t have the luxury of time,” he explains. And so, McGuffey used his business line of credit through his business, BTI, to pledge $1 million. That way, RMD could sign the construction contract and secure the USDA and ARPA funding, permitting the project to break ground and giving RMD and the broader community time to fundraise that $1 million. 

The RMD met with the city of Riverton, which created a half-cent economic development tax grant, and some private donors stepped up with their own contributions. “I had a conversation with Tom Youtz, a past board chair of WCB,” McGuffey says. “He was blown away by the risk we were taking on, and he said, ‘I think the bank is in a position to help with this.’”

At a WCB board meeting, Youtz proposed the donation to the hospital. “The support was overwhelming,” McGuffey says. With WCB leaders on board, he had officially secured the funding needed for the RMD to move forward with its plan.

Corte McGuffey
“I think we have filled a niche over the years as big-box banks became more regionalized and started to move away from taking care of local folks in rural communities.”
—Corte McGuffey, Wyoming Community Bank

Investing in health and prosperity

For a smaller institution like WCB, the $250,000 donation represents a significant portion of its working capital. However, the community bank’s consistent growth and strong financial position made it possible to support a project that will benefit the entire community. 

“Ten years ago, the bank wouldn’t have been in a position to make this type of donation,” McGuffey says. “I think we have filled a niche over the years as big-box banks became more regionalized and started to move away from taking care of local folks in rural communities.”

Scott Pettit, WCB’s CEO, agrees, saying that the community bank’s strong working capital comes from a loyal, steadily growing local clientele. 

“Without community support, we wouldn’t have been able to [make the contribution], because it was a pretty good chunk of our capital,” Pettit says. “People want to work with a bank that’s going to be here for the community for the long term when they make their deposit or take out a loan.” 

WCB’s care and dedication to Riverton residents hasn’t gone unnoticed. “The response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive,” McGuffey says. “It’s important for boards to identify what’s important to their communities and figure out ways they can support those things. It’s part of what a community bank does: support our people. In turn, those people support us.”