Hometown Service on a Higher Plain
What does hometown service mean to you? To us, it means our customers are our friends, because they are our neighbors, too. Because you are our neighbor and friend, we want you to have the best, most current financial products available, and we want these products delivered to you with the exceptional service you deserve.
We celebrated our 100th Anniversary in 2008. We originally opened our doors as the Flagler State Bank, founded in 1908. In 1920, we became The First National Bank of Flagler. Alex Creighton first went to work for the organization in that same year. The Creighton family has been majority owner of the bank since 1964. Alex’s grandsons are very active with the bank. Tom Creighton, Jr. serves as the bank’s Chairman and John Creighton serves as the bank’s executive vice president.
We opened our first branch under the name of High Plains National Bank in Bennett in June of 1998. We purchased our Wiggins branch in August of 2001. In 2003, we changed our name to High Plains Bank in order to create continuity between our locations and sharpen customer awareness of our banks.
High Plains Bank became an employee owned bank in 2003. Today, High Plains employees own nearly one quarter of the holding company’s shares. Former employees own another five percent. Jim Pieters has served as the bank’s CEO since 1998. Ed Rarick, Bob Yaich and Gail Stencel are the presidents of Flagler, Bennett and Wiggins, respectively. Together, these four have more than 125 years of banking experience.
Our bank’s leaders not only work in Flagler, Bennett and Wiggins. These are the communities in which they’ve raised their children and their extended families continue to live. Similar stories can be told of all our employees. We believe we’re successful because our employees call their communities home, first. Banking is one way in which we are able to serve. High Plains Bank employees are also active members of their respective communities.
We encourage you to stop by a High Plains Bank and meet our staff. If you need a safe place for your deposits or want a loan to buy or build a house, invest in commercial real estate, give your business a boost or facilitate your agricultural needs, we want to help. Come in and see what a century of community banking experience can do for you.
