FCS Financial: One Hundred Years July 2016 | Page 121

normal side dishes, but when they serve chili they take care to prepare hot dogs for the children and, of all things, cinnamon rolls. “I’m not sure where that came from,” Darrell said, “but someone said that when we had chili in the school cafeteria they always had cinnamon rolls so that’s what we do.” The connection FCS Financial employees feel toward their customers goes the other way as well and is apparent in the number of multi-generational customers. At a recent Customer Appreciation Days event in Columbia, Bob Idel encountered a number of customers for whom he was the first loan officer and was now attending with their sons and grandsons. “Whether you gave them a loan, or turned them down in such a manner that they could come back and say, ‘thank you for talking me out of that combine or not buying that farm,’ it’s how you handle that customer, and how you build that relationship that makes the difference.” Randy Beckemeier, loan officer in FCS Financial’s O’Fallon office, is completing his twenty-eighth year in the Farm Credit System. Working so close to a large metropolitan area where the competition is great, he understands the value of customer service. “It’s easy to gloss over the importance of customer service,” he said. “The first deal you make with a new applicant might be about rate. But the second, third, and subsequent deals are all about relationship. That’s what we specialize in. If we don’t do that, then we’re no different from XYZ Bank.” The FCS Financial Legacy program recognizes and honors families who have been members for at least three generations. They receive a certificate, plaque, and donation in their name to their choice of their local 4-H club, FFA organization, or food bank. Shown here is the Isgrig family. A Secure Future 117