With long-established roots in Fremont County, Wyoming Community Bank is more than experienced bankers. They are your partner, your neighbor, your friend. The people that work there are part of this community just like you and me. They care and it shows in the service they provide. Hans Hummel is one of these people.
Hans has been a member of the Bank’s Board of Directors for 5 ½ years and is also a shareholder. The main purpose of a director is to monitor and govern the bank’s operations, support our communities and protect the interest of the bank’s shareholders.
“The board meets monthly to oversee the bank’s direction and to strategically plan for the future. As board members, we also serve on other sub-committees where we get more detailed with specific areas of the bank,” states Hans.
Hans is the newly elected Chairman of the Marketing Committee. He also serves on the IT Committee and the Loan Committee.
We took a moment to talk with Hans about his role on the board and what makes Wyoming Community Bank great.
How did you end up on the bank’s board?
My wife and I have been customers of Wyoming Community Bank personally and through our company, Hi Mountain Seasonings, since around 2005. The bank board was looking to bring on some younger members that were invested in the local community and I was asked to be a part of the board.
What do you love about serving on the board?
Being able to invest back in our community and working with such a diverse set of board members who have knowledge in so many different industries.
What is the most difficult part of the job?
Having never been in the banking industry, the learning curve at the beginning of becoming a director is steep, but I’ve had a lot of great mentors from the other directors and senior staff.
As a shareholder, you are personally invested in the bank. How does this affect your position as a board member?
Because you have skin in the game, you make the best decisions that you can.
Tell us about the Board of Directors.
Currently, we have 14 members on our board of directors. All of our board members are also shareholders in the bank. Two of our members are bank executives, and the balance of us are from outside of the bank. It is an accomplished group of individuals, that come from various backgrounds and business experiences. We all live and work in Fremont County.
Seated L to R: John Linton, Bob Foster, Jared Kail, Scott Pettit, Corte McGuffey, Trevor Bekken
What is communication like between the bank executives and the board?
I think the communication between the bank executives and the board is fantastic. Truthfully, the bank feels like a big family to me.
Any significant accomplishments since you’ve been a board member?
Since I’ve been there, we have opened a fourth location in Dubois. It was a lot of fun working with the board planning that and seeing it come to fruition. Now we can fully serve Fremont County.
In your opinion, what makes Wyoming Community Bank a better banking option?
Wyoming Community Bank is truly a community bank. The directors live here and love Fremont County and want to see it succeed. We make lending decisions here, we don’t send off our customer applications to someone in a cubicle in another state. We know our customers and do our best to serve their needs.
Hans and his wife, Kimberly have been married for 21 years and live on a ranch west of Kinnear with their 6 dogs and a bunch of barnyard animals.
“We love to spend time outdoors camping and riding our side-by-side. I am an avid hunter and fisherman,” said Hans. “I also serve on the board of Cornerstone Community Church and my wife has been the past president of the Riverton Chamber of Commerce and Abba’s House. We try to be active members of our community.”
