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Our Two Cents
Our Two Cents
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Michael Bender, Adam Cox, and Jean Bender posing for a group photo.

Michael and Jean Bender discuss Bender Companies, money story at our live podcast event

Common Cents on the Prairie™

If Michael and Jean Bender were to sum up their money story, it would be that opposites attract. He was raised to be a spender, while she was raised to be so frugal that a fried shrimp basket felt like...
Headshot of Mitch Janssen, Business Banker at The First National Bank in Sioux Falls.

FNB renovates Benson Road branch, adds new business banker

We recently renovated our Benson Road branch to make room for an additional business banker. Known as the “Transportation Branch,” the location is home to our team of Business Bankers — Team Lead Russ Robers, Derek Simonsen, and Justin Zandstra...
Phil DeGroot standing in front of a picture of a farm, holding a First National Bank mug.

Tea With Teammates

Phil DeGroot

Want to know our teammates’ deepest, darkest secrets? We asked Phil DeGroot to spill the tea about being named 2024 Agribusiness Citizen of the Year.
Three high school seniors filling out a scholarship application at a coffee shop.

Meet our 2024 scholarship winners

Since 2005, we’ve awarded $89,000 to local high school seniors through our scholarship program. We believe in the importance of lifting up our local communities by supporting the students who will one day lead them, which is why we’re excited...
Headshot of female founder Stacy Havener.

Female founder Stacy Havener shares journey from underdog to success story

Common Cents on the Prairie™

“In a world full of men who love numbers, there was a place for a girl who loved words.” Long before she was a successful entrepreneur, Stacy Havener came from humble beginnings: a latchkey kid, with divorced parents, in a...
A construction crew moving First National Bank's eagle statue off the top of their building.

Becoming FIRST: The surprising history of The First National Bank in Sioux Falls

In 1976, a construction crew stood, hands on hips and squinting into the sun, wondering how on earth they were going to lower the 10,000-pound limestone eagle to the ground. The regal statue had been perched above Phillips Avenue in...
The lobby of Minnehaha National Bank in the 20th century.

Becoming FIRST: The Reputation Chapter

Imagine it’s 1885 in Sioux Falls and you’re about to board a train for Chicago. The railway snakes hundreds of miles across the lonely prairie, and those miles set these cities worlds apart. How so? The money in your wallet...
Dolly Parton with Bill Baker and family in Sioux Falls in 2002.

Becoming FIRST: The Dolly Chapter

We give back to our communities in three primary ways: time, talent, and treasure. At First National Bank, we offer our collective time to help those who need it, talents to serve those who will benefit most, and treasure to...
First National Bank's downtown Sioux Falls location from 1929 to 1976.

Becoming FIRST: The Business Chapter

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. One month later, on January 13, 1942, William Wiswall (W. W.) Baker formally stepped to the helm of First National Bank as the nation was thrust into war. For Americans, everything...
First National Bank's leadership team celebrating 100 years in business with a large cake.

Becoming FIRST: The Crisis Chapter

If 140 years of doing business have taught us anything, it’s that every generation is tested. And with every test, our FIRST Values have shone brightly through even our darkest hours. The COVID-19 pandemic certainly proved to be one of...
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