The First National Bank of Elmer — a more than 100-year-old institution based in Salem County with branches in Gloucester and Cumberland — has been meticulously growing its book of business for years.
It has a client base that reaches all seven counties in South Jersey.
And while CEO Brian Jones said the community bank is interested in growing its physical presence, he said the bank only will do so when it has the right person to anchor the right location. It’s a notion that fits the bank’s service-first philosophy.
That’s why, when the bank officially cut the ribbon on a new location in Burlington County Tuesday, Jones said he was just as excited about having Mike Madison run the loan processing office based in Marlton as the business that will come from it.
“When we look to expand, what drives us, is finding the right person,” Jones said. “It’s not the location; we’ve established where we want to grow, it’s finding someone who matches our vision and our culture.”
Jones said the secret to success of the bank, which is built around servicing commercial loans of $1million to $3 million, is its ability to have a strong presence in the community and a willingness to serve clients in a hyper-personalized way.
“Every bank has green money,” Jones joked. “So, when you really analyze it, its services are the key, especially in a world today where it’s really migrating away to the advance of electronic banking and AI and all those types of things.
“When things go wrong, there’s still no substitute from sitting in front of somebody and talking to them. We need people who live that.”
The bank feels it has that in Madison, a longtime banking executive in region, who joined the Elmer team a year ago after a nearly 20-year career at Mount Laurel-based Cornerstone Bank.
Madison said he’s thrilled to be on the team.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to bring The First National Bank of Elmer’s relationship-driven, community-focused banking model to a vibrant and growing market,” he said. “I’m excited to work with local business owners and entrepreneurs to provide flexible lending solutions that support their growth and success.
“With deep roots in South Jersey, I look forward to building lasting partnerships that reflect the bank’s values of integrity, responsiveness and personalized service.”
Jones stressed the Marlton location will not be a retail outlet — it will just be a loan processing facility. But he noted having a location will enable other members of the team to have an office when they are doing business in Burlington and Camden counties.
Jones also said First National Bank of Elmer is ready, willing and able to open retail outlets or LPOs in other South Jersey counties, particularly Cape May, where it already has a strong book of business.
“When we find the right person, we’ll do so,” he said.
It’s just the way First National Bank of Elmer, which was formed in 1903, does things.
“Most banks say: ‘We want to open a location here, now let’s find someone to run it,’” he said. “We do it the other way around.”
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