FAIRMONT- First Exchange Bank held its 25th annual Groundhog Day Breakfast Friday morning, welcoming leaders and officials from across the region to eat and network.<\/p>\n
The breakfast, held at the Robert H. Mollohan Research Center in the I-79 High Technology Park, also served as an opportunity for the bank\u2019s officials to update the community on the company overall, according to Bill Goettel, president and CEO of First Exchange Bank.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a celebration,\u201d Goettel said. \u201cWe get to talk about our bank, and we have Jim Estep talking about the High Tech (Park). This is a way to promote the bank and to basically network with our friends and customers. We want to tell people where we\u2019ve been, where we are and where we\u2019re going. That\u2019s our theme for today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Well over 100 people attended the breakfast this year, for which Goettel said he\u2019s very appreciative.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re thrilled with a turnout like this,\u201d Goettel said. \u201cWe\u2019re happy that the weather cooperated. We\u2019re really happy, and it\u2019s a testament to our staff and our board of directors who get out and network and really promote the event.\u201d<\/p>\n
Megan Michael, the bank\u2019s marketing coordinator, said that while the longstanding annual breakfast was originally a one-time thing, its popularity surprised the bank\u2019s officials, leading to them holding the holiday event every year since.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis started in 1996,\u201d Michael said. \u201cIt started as an event to kick off the opening of our Fairmont branch. It was their first branch away from their headquarters. It was such a hit that they decided to keep up with it, and now it\u2019s something that everybody internally looks forward to, and we hope everyone else enjoys it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
The breakfast\u2019s keynote speaker was Jim Estep, president and CEO of the High Technology Foundation that oversees the I-79 High Tech Park.<\/p>\n
Estep spoke to those in attendance about the importance of economic diversification and especially how that pertains to attracting more federal entities to the Mountain State.<\/p>\n
He said that by doing three things, West Virginia\u2019s economy can be back on track.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we have to do as a state is stabilize, maximize and diversify,\u201d Estep said. \u201cWe have to stabilize the coal sector. \u2026 We\u2019ve got to absolutely positively diversify the economy with a new knowledge sector. That\u2019s absolutely critical if we ever want to get out of these 50th-place rankings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Goettel said it\u2019s important for First Exchange Bank to stay involved in the Marion County area and beyond, and added that the bank always tries to be a part of the community in any way it can.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt all circles back,\u201d Goettel said. \u201cThe more you give, the more you get. You shouldn\u2019t give to get, but if you provide the community with the services they need, the community will come back to you. It\u2019s all about reaching out to people and making friendships. It\u2019s really cool and really great.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
First Exchange Bank Holds 25th Annual Groundhog Day Breakfast in Fairmont, WV FAIRMONT- First Exchange Bank held its 25th annual Groundhog Day Breakfast Friday morning, welcoming leaders and officials from across the region to eat and network. The breakfast, held at the Robert H. Mollohan Research Center in the I-79 High Technology Park, also served […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n