The thing that I find is most rewarding in the position I hold today is truly having an opportunity to help others. That's helping our clients but there's also helping our associates. If I can help pave an easier path for our associates to continue their career growth, then that is at the heart of what I want to do. Unfortunately, as I was coming up through the ranks, that didn't exist, and it's only been in recent years where I've even been able to truly identify some very trusted advisors and mentors in my life. So, to me, if I can serve as that role for someone else, whether it's specific to First United or outside of the banking industry, that's what I want to do. Some of that also has to do with somebody exposure and opportunities I've had being involved in the community. So, whether it's sitting on the boards or planning committees for some of our economic development, organizations or nonprofits that are out there every day trying to make a positive impact in the community, onto a national level where I do sit on two of the American Bankers Associations advisory boards; one is their emerging leaders board, the other is their commercial lending school sport. It's rewarding to me to not only helped create that curriculum and help create programs that are going to help advance young talent, but it's also rewarding knowing I can bring that back and share those resources with my own associates. So, practice comes in several different aspects. Of course, a lot of people do not like the idea of role-play, but that is one form of practice that we do utilize. The other form of practice is really continuing to learn from one another. It's not uncommon for different lines of business, specifically for example I can think of going out and meeting with a new business owner and we know that they're going to need traditional banking services, they're going to need online applications, but they also might need a commercial loan. So, in those instances, we ask our retail associate along with our commercial lender to go out on what we refer to as a joint call. These calls are again same concept that we followed in the past, and they are more of a discovery element to really understand the goals and ambitions of the individuals they're meeting with. But that gives them two different perspectives in which to ask those questions and to carry on the conversation. So, not only does it allow them to further uncover what the individual may be needing just now and in the future, but it also allows each associate to hear somebody else's sales approach. So, as we continue to glean and evolve our skillsets, we listen for that, we work together, we plan those calls before we go out. We need to know that who's taking which aspect, who's going to be the lead on the call, who's going to be the follower, so to speak, and the timing of when it makes most sense for them to enter jacked. So, at the end of the day, we learn as much from each other as what we do from any practical application that we do through our training program. What I remember well and what I would speak to, maybe two different things. There are some that you wish to forget. I always say that in life, we could probably write a book about our experiences, and so there's definitely some that are going to fall into the humorous side. But then, there's also those that fall into the most rewarding, and that's where we've been able to go out and meet with somebody or business and really truly gotten to know them. We have formed a very solid trusted relationship and able to embark our education and advice to help them get not just where they are, make things enhanced, and whether that's a time savings or increased revenue to their bottom line, or to help them plan out for the future do that they can have the life experience that they're looking for and they want, that's a very personalized strategy. So, we talked to them about the adventure that they want in life, whether it's for themselves personally or for the business, and then we help craft a plan and a strategy to help them get there. Of course, financial services play a big part in that, but it's not all, and in us, we want to be a connector. If we're a connector throughout our community, we can connect the resources that the individuals need to accomplish those goals. Well, we clearly live in an Appalachian country. So serving West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, not every element or every customer that we serve is going to be in an urbanized environment. So, we address to our audience. So, if that means we're in muck boots because we're checking out equipments, then that's what we do. There have been days where maybe the site that you are visiting left let's say an odor. So, I can say I have gotten back in my vehicle and literally taken a hand sanitizer bath, knowing I need to go on to my next appointment or in my next client and not wanting to bring what I had just left with me. Well, as we all know, training takes on a blended approach and we're pleased here first united to offer that aspect. So, whether it's a formalized classroom training, informal mentorships throughout the organization and hands-on experience that's just learned on the job, I have to admit that as a proud alumni of WVU's Business School, I wish that these types of curriculum and opportunities would have been in place when I was there. I too was a marketing degree and having worked with the current marketing programs and having served as a judge both at the sales competitions as well as based on some in-classroom role plays, the experience that the students are getting today is just so invalid. The approach that we utilize to sell today and building this trusted relationships is exactly what I'm seeing them getting and I cannot tell you how much further ahead they're going to come out of college having that real-world experience already under their belt.
