FCS Financial: One Hundred Years July 2016 | Page 122

Sometimes the feedback comes years later . Gary Wrye remembered a customer he ’ d helped much more than he knew at the time . A woman ’ s husband had left her and with no one to help , she needed some money to get some things done around the farm . Gary figured out a way to restructure her loan to get her payments more manageable . When the woman passed away a few years later her son came in to the office . He asked Gary if he remembered helping his mother and when Gary replied that he did , the young man said , “ I just want to tell you , that was one of the best days of her life .” “ He kind of broke down ,” Gary recalled , “ but it makes you feel that maybe it ’ s worth going the extra mile .” When Gary retired , quite a few people came to his retirement . One successful man Gary had helped start his operation years ago approached him . “ I want to thank you ,” the man said . “ If it hadn ’ t been for you , I wouldn ’ t have anything .”
The best business relationships are always founded on trust and trust is best built through the good , old-fashioned midwestern values FCS Financial employees share with their customers . They center on hard work , honesty , integrity , a sense of community , gratitude for the simple things in life , and devotion to family and friends . YBS farmer Zach McClellan knows quite well where his work ethic came from . He learned it as a boy taking care of the animals while working with his father and grandfather . “ In the summer I was out there every day putting up hay and I wasn ’ t getting paid because I had a meal on the table and somewhere to sleep ,” he recalled . “ I didn ’ t understand it then at that age . I didn ’ t then , but I do now and I really appreciate it .”
In like manner , the organization itself exudes those values in relation to their employees , as well as their customers . Kate Lambert , an appraiser in the Chillicothe office , openly applauds FCS Financial for the opportunities they give employees , not just in their own jobs , but in “ the bigger picture ” as well . Several years ago she was given the opportunity to attend the week-long International Women in Agribusiness Summit in Minneapolis where she participated in discussions on economic trends and other issues facing agriculture . She appreciates the fact that she and other employees are encouraged to learn from people in other departments as a means of broadening their perspective on the company and the industry as a whole .
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