Managing editor
There is nothing quite like working in a small community where everybody knows you and you know them.
Hillsboro native and Hillsboro High School graduate Cynthia Fleming has lived off and on in Hillsboro and Marion, as she honed her skills at local banks. When the banking world beckoned her to a higher calling, she moved to Wichita.
Now she has returned to her hometown of Hillsboro to fill the shoes of longtime bank president Carl Long at Hillsboro State Bank. Fleming has been in the banking business for more than 40 years, which makes her a skilled financier. But her real interest is in people.
“I like the people part of the business,” she said.
As people walk in and out of Hillsboro State Bank, Fleming takes time to wave from her glass-encased office, sometimes calling them by name.
“I’ve worked in a smaller bank atmosphere,” Fleming said, “and am thrilled to be back at a community bank like Hillsboro State.”
She enjoys the opportunity to wear many hats — that of loan officer, financial adviser, and business manager.
How often can a person return her hometown and have a job like this?
“These opportunities don’t come along very often,” Fleming said, and she knew to jump at it. “Carl had run it well and I want to continue that tradition.”
And it all starts with a great staff, she said, which was already in place when she took over a few weeks ago.
While many banks are struggling, Fleming said local banks like Hillsboro State are well supported by communities because they offer personalized service and the president does know customer’s names.
Fleming and her husband, Roger, eventually will move to Hillsboro when their Wichita home is sold. Roger is a retired firefighter and emergency medical technician. He is a part-time postal carrier.
The couple has a daughter, Jessie Nickel, who also is in the banking business. She works at Central National Bank of Marion and she and her family live in Hillsboro.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know our customers and the community,” Fleming said.
“It’s good to be back.”