Ed Pope
President and CEO
F&M Bank, Washington
GBA Asset/Liability Management Committee, Group 10
Q: You have seen a lot of change in the 10 years you’ve been in banking; what is the most important lesson you’ve learned during that time?
That your staff is paramount to your Bank’s success. Good staff can overcome just about anything.
Q: What would you tell someone to encourage them to consider a career in banking?
That extending credit with good deposit management through a shareholder-owned bank can push your community forward in ways you cannot imagine. You are the engine of the local economy. Our communities NEED good bankers.
Q: What do enjoy most about working at F&M Bank?
Enabling our staff to help provide solutions to clients’ financial challenges. It’s very rewarding to see a project work.
Q: How have benefited from your participation on GBA Committees and at GBA events like the upcoming Financial Risk management Conference?
Contacts. Numerous reliable and trusted contacts.
Q: What is one thing your F&M Bank co-workers and GBA friends and peers might not know about you?
The switch over to Banking was my fourth career change. Straight out of college at Georgia Tech, I worked in manufacturing. Then I worked in Investment Sales for a year, then in Commercial Property Management. I had some terrific role models in these years too. Every job taught me lessons I use in my role at F&M Bank today. My wife deserves a medal. I am “home” now.