The mission statement of The Citizens National Bank is “to remain an independent community bank, providing quality products and services to our customers and the community with superior value to shareholders,” and it’s a position that the bank’s president and CEO, David Conrad, takes very seriously.
The centrality of a community bank appeals to him on a basic level.
“Decisions are very local – you don’t have to go up the chain of command,” he said. “Everything is centered within a small network that the bank serves, and decisions are made for their benefit.”
Originally from the Finger Lakes region of New York, Conrad earned his undergraduate degree from Alfred University, and his graduate degree from the University of Wisconsin. He began his banking career in Rochester, N.Y., with a multi-bank holding company that became Norstar.
After 12 years, he decided corporate banking wasn’t for him.
“At a big bank, you get lots of training and experience, and it gave me a good start,” he said. “But you can get pigeon-holed. An opportunity came up at that point in my career, to slide into executive management at a young age. That carrot got me to jump from large regional bank to local bank.”
He became the president of a small bank in Florida, Horizon Bank, then moved to a bank in the Adirondacks region of New York – coincidentally, also called Citizens National Bank.
In 2000, he joined Citizens National Bank in Putnam.
‘Where I Want To Be’
As the president of a community bank, he said, one “wears many hats one day you’re negotiating a million-dollar deal, the next day you’re moving furniture.”
When he’s not moving furniture, negotiating deals or any of the other varied tasks of a bank president, he enjoys bike racing and riding. He was on a bike tour of the Allegheny Mountains when a text came in from his administrative assistant, Marie Morich, letting him know he had been selected as a winner.
Morich, who nominated Conrad as a Community Bank Hero, described her boss as “a respected industry professional who strives to make a significant impact on those who surround him.”
“He strongly supports the advancement of knowledge through education for his employees,” she said, making available economic webinars and training so employees and directors become more informed on the economic situation that affects their lives and the banking industry.
Conrad also supports professional training for employees, she added, noting that employees receive bonuses for completing courses that result in a certificate or degree.
It’s all in a day’s work for the president of The Citizens’ National Bank.
“The employees, the board and the community have become a large family,” he said. “Where I am now is where I want to be, and where I’ll stay.”
