PHOTO: First State Bank, DeKalb County's largest bank, celebrated 35 years of serving the citizens of our area last week! (Marla Jones | Southern Torch)
By Marla Jones, Sports Editor
FORT PAYNE, Ala.—First State Bank celebrated their thirty-fifth anniversary on May 18, 2017!
Thirty-five years ago, a group of local investors formed First State Bank of DeKalb County for the purpose of providing the city of Fort Payne and surrounding area with true hometown banking services. It was felt by the founding Board of Directors that there was a need for providing the city with a bank that was managed by the people, who lived and worked in this area, rather than decisions being made by someone in another location. The Board originally had eight members. Today, the Board is made up of ten members. All of whom are from the Fort Payne and surrounding areas. Dr. Joe McNew, owner of DeKalb Animal Hospital, has been a Board of Director since the opening of the bank.
FSB was chartered in 1981 and the bank opened in May of 1982. Their first location was at 500 Gault Avenue South, Fort Payne. In 1995, they added their second location at 2407 Gault Avenue North, Fort Payne. Now the bank offers five locations to better serve their customers; Two offices in Fort Payne, one each in Rainsville, Henagar and Grant. FSB acquired First Bank of the South and it’s three locations on July 1, 2016. With this acquisition, FSB become the largest community bank founded in DeKalb, increasing their total assets to some $175,000,000. The bank started with approximately eight employees. Today, due to growth and expansion, the number of employees is approximately fifty-two,
FSB supports their local communities through donations or services. Each year the bank donates thousands of dollars to area causes such as the Children’s Advocacy Center, UGF, Relay for Life, and many local sports teams. They strongly believe that their best investment is in the area they serve.
From the beginning, FSB has continued to look for ways to better serve their customers. At one time you had to physically go to the bank to conduct a transaction, now through the new technology they offer, you can conduct your business on-line, at any ATM or even on your smartphone.
David Henderson, is the President and CEO of FSB. “I am blessed to work for a Board of Directors who are not solely driven by profits but who truly care about our customers and their needs and want to make our area a better place to live and work” said Henderson.
“However, with blessings come responsibilities; I feel whether it is, life or work, we each have a responsibility to leave things better than we found them, So that is my goal for FSB; with the direction of our Board of Directors, with the help of our bank family and with the support of our customers, we will help make our community better,” added Henderson.
