After 25 years with Fisher National Bank, Vice President of Operations in Mahomet, Shirley Jones will step back from her full-time position at the end of March to ease into retirement.
“We couldn’t do this cold turkey,” President Mike Estes said. “We had to phase her out.”
Jones and Estes developed the plan to transition Jones from full-time to part-time work to lessen the shock to the bank staff and Jones.
“I’m excited, but I still get a knot in my stomach because this is like a second family to me,” Jones said. “I’ve never been disappointed to have to come to work. I want to come to work.”
After starting as a teller at the Fisher location in 1989, Jones quickly became the face of Fisher National Bank when she moved from teller to the customer service station.During an annual review in the mid-90’s, Jones learned with education and training, she could step into other roles within the bank.
“I think everyone wants to improve themselves and grow,” Jones said. “But this was an opportunity for Fisher National Bank to grow, and I wanted to be a part of that. I’m very loyal to Fisher National Bank.”
By 2000, Fisher National Bank, which was established in 1955, had experienced success. Serving nearly 80 percent of the Fisher community, Estes recognized it was time to create opportunities for employees and shareholders.
While the bank surveyed space to become part of the Mahomet market, Jones approached Estes about the possibility of helping the bank to establish Mahomet roots.
“It seemed like all the stars were lining up,” Estes said. “Someone was telling us we needed to make this move. (Shirley coming to me) pushed me over the edge. We’ve got someone down there who knows us, knows what we expect, how we treat customers and how we’ve tried to build relationships here in Fisher. That was just a huge load off of me to know we had someone key like that who could come down here and start.”
In 2002, Fisher National Bank set up shop in the corner of the Marathon station on IL Route 150. Jones managed everything in the Mahomet branch from small loans, transactions, building relationships with other business owners and volunteering her time in the Mahomet community.
“She did a great job laying the foundation for us to come down and be a part of this community,” Estes said. “She’s made a good reputation for our bank down here.”
By 2006, Fisher had grown out of the convenience store space, and built their current facility along IL Route 150 near Carle Clinic. With regional planning suggesting IL-150 may be a business corridor between Mahomet and Champaign, Estes felt this location would serve the bank’s clients well.
The stars seemed to line up for Estes once again as long time community member and community bankers Gary Winnans and up-and-coming banker Ryan Heiser contacted him about employment opportunities. Jones knew Winnans’ personality would fit into the Fisher Bank mentality. After seeing Heiser at a seminar, she also knew the bank needed his “go-getter” personality.
“I didn’t know if we could afford to hire both, but Shirley said, ‘I don’t think we can afford to not hire both of them,’” Estes said. “She was here to mentor them in how Fisher likes to do things. Shirley was always here to be that stability and tie everything together.”
Over 13 years, Jones has become the backbone of the Mahomet branch as she has continued to build relationships with customers and mentor employees.
“I still go behind the teller line,” Jones said. “I try to stay in touch with the customers. That’s been my love, the customers. I think the relationship of the employees and the customers is the backbone of the bank.”
“That’s community banking,” Estes said. “We want a customer for a lifetime. Shirley knows how to connect with the customers, and the customers know they can count on her. That’s been a big asset that she’s brought to the bank, and it was a huge asset when we started building business down here in Mahomet.”
As Jones and Estes have partnered to grow the Mahomet branch, they have continued to stick to Fisher’s values of business and community as they developed programs to give back to Mahomet. Fisher supports Mahomet athletic programs, the Sangamon River Music Festival, high school graduate scholarships, and they also match employee’s personal donations to non-profit organizations yearly.
Jones plans to continue to give back to the community during retirement. With close friends affected by cancer and heart disease, she would like to volunteer her time at the Cancer or Heart Center at Carle Clinic.
She also looks forward to spending time with her 11 grandchildren who live nearby. Jones enjoys supporting her older grandchildren as they participate in FFA and show livestock in fairs, and playing with her younger grandchildren.
As Jones continues to work part-time this summer, she will rediscover her love for gardening. Estes has also invited Jones to be a part of the Mahomet advisory board.
“She’s been a great ambassador for us,” Estes said. “She’s touched a lot of lives, and people look to her for assistance with their finances. If she’s still around here, and still wants to be a part of us, I’m going to take advantage of that.”
“Mahomet was my dream,” Jones said. “I intend to stay involved. When I come here, though, I’m going to need a personal banker.”
“It’s our turn to wait on her now,” Estes said. “I want her to have many, many, many years of joyful retirement.”
