For The Neffs National Bank, 2013 is an important year.

This year, the bank will celebrate its 90th anniversary by holding a special promotions, such as a seminar on financial planning, a food drive to support a local food pantry and more.

Bank President and CEO Kevin A. Schmidt commented on the anniversary.

"We've done very well during the past 90 years," Schmidt said. "We couldn't have lasted this long without the support of our customers in the community, so we want to celebrate this milestone with them by giving back."

In the Beginning

Ninety years ago, seven courageous, well-known and community-minded individuals began the process of opening a bank.

On Feb. 23, 1923, Calvin F. Hill, Jay B. Kern, Clayton E. Snyder, Raymond H. Moser, Henry P. Wehr, Harvey E. Wotring and Ray J. Frantz met and enacted the Articles of Association for the incorporation of The Neffs National Bank.

These organizers provided for the start of urgently needed community banking services.

On April 3, 1923, the association officially became a corporation when the organization certificate was drawn and subsequently signed by the organizers.

The Neffs National Bank had 55 original shareholders, which has increased to more than 300 today under Neffs Bancorp Inc. (subsequent to a buyback-conversion in 2011).

Continuing the process toward chartering a bank, the organizers adopted the by-laws on Nov. 23, 1923 and the bank was chartered to conduct its business functions on Dec. 20, 1923.

Originally, the bank performed its business operations from a small room between The Neffs Hotel and Kern and Moser's General Store, next door to the current bank building, built in 1937.

The present day bank building underwent two expansions, one in 1965 and another in 1995.

In 1986, Neffs Bancorp Inc. was formed and continues to operate as a one-bank holding company. The Neffs National Bank is the sole subsidiary of Neffs Bancorp Inc.

"From its modest beginning in 1923, the growth of the bank has been influenced by the prosperity of the local communities," Schmidt said. "We are thankful that individuals and businesses continue to contribute to promoting community-oriented, independently-operated banking."

The Neffs National Bank continues today under dynamic leadership of a dedicated board of directors, excellent cooperation of employees and loyal support of the shareholders and customers.

Today

The mission of The Neffs National Bank is "to focus on the financial needs of its geographic market area with a continued commitment to remain an independent community-oriented bank.

"We will promote business practices that reflect a fair partnership between our customers, employees and our parent company. We will respect our past as we grow in the future."

This year, the bank will celebrate the past 90 years, while looking ahead to the future.

Beginning Jan. 1, the bank kicked off the year-long celebration internally by getting its employees excited about the 90th anniversary.

"We definitely want to get them on board, and then keep them on board," Schmidt said. "If the employees are excited about our 90th anniversary activities, then that excitement is passed on to our shareholders, customers and community organizations throughout the entire year."

As for the external side, Schmidt said the bank will first build awareness of the milestone by printing advertisements with local media that share The Neffs National Bank's history.

"To build on that, the bank will also incorporate a logo, specifically designed to highlight our anniversary, on print materials and correspondence," Schmidt said.

In addition, the bank will promote monthly activities to encourage as much community participation as possible through advertisements and press releases.

The Neffs National Bank will reach out to a variety of community organizations and customers in 2013.

"April will be an exciting month for us," Schmidt said. "Not only is it the month the bank became a corporation, but it is also when we celebrate Community Banking Week. If the events are successful, we may make them annual events that community members can look forward to each year."

To use their newly updated website, the bank plans to gather testimonials to post online with the goal of maintaining the excitement throughout the year.

"Since the update in August 2012, we've seen an increase in participation on the website," Schmidt said. "We want to celebrate both in the bank and online so that we can reach out to different generations of customers, no matter how they choose to bank with us," Schmidt said.

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Editor's note: In Part II, The Neffs National Bank looks toward the future.