As consolidations within the banking industry became more prevalent in the late 1990s, many people moved their business to smaller banks. This gave founder Rick Peenstra the motivation to start a capital campaign to open a locally owned bank. Together with a group of investors, a capital campaign called “Friends Banking on Friends” was started. By December of 1997, the capital required to start a bank was raised and the first Chairman of the Board, Ty Haberling, was appointed. Since the day Community First Bank opened, we have been committed to making a positive difference in the community. Over twenty years later, our history is still being written. We continue to build trust with local businesses and community partners—that we are going to be there for them by providing financial expertise when needed and assisting them in reaching their financial goals—now and for generations to come. It is through relationship banking that we continue to play a significant role in local economic growth and prosperity of our community. Recognizing that many of our business owners have financial needs as they look toward selling or transferring their businesses to the next generation and managing the wealth they’ve worked so hard to accumulate, it became apparent that we lacked the tools to help them navigate the later stages of their financial lives. In 2016 the bank joined forces with HFG Trust, who specialize in providing wealth management, trust, and business services, giving us the ability to provide financial services for all stages of life. As Community First looks ahead and plans for the future, we are dedicated to delivering the same high-quality customer service on which we were founded. Clients and the community will continue to be at the center of our business as we strive to be… Your Financial Partner for Life!
We are a bank that prides ourselves in our community and the support we provide to local businesses and charitable organizations. Whether our support is through sponsorships, local business loans or specialized products for organizations, it is the relationships we build with our clients, employees and our community that brings the greatest sense of fulfillment. We have been, and will continue to be, fully committed to putting community first in everything we do. We are relentlessly focused on the client experience and are vested in our clients’ success. That’s what makes us different. We create trust by becoming a supportive partner, listening to our clients’ visions, providing quick decisions, assessing our clients’ needs and ambitions, and recommending the appropriate products and services. We are committed to local ownership and to the communities we serve. Our owners and decision makers live and work here, which means we are attuned to the unique dynamics and needs of the region. This allows us to tailor flexible financial solutions for our clients, instead of the one-size-fits-all approach that is common today. We are committed to supporting local businesses not unlike our own to ensure that our bank and the community we serve will grow and prosper for years to come. It’s not just business for us—it’s personal.
