Padgett enjoys small town atmosphere
Staff writer
Coming back to Kansas for the small-town life was something Mike Padgett decided he wanted to do.
Padgett, the son of John and Joyce Padgett of rural Florence, grew up on a cattle farm and was raised in the Marion-Florence area.
He graduated from Marion High School in 1987. He attended Kansas State University and graduated in 1991 with a bachelor of science degree in business and finance.
Padgett said he chose to go to college and not into farming because of the uncertainty of the farming industry.
"I started out in engineering, but it was too technical, and I found that I did not like it," Padgett said. "So I went into business with an emphasis on finance."
"I think I chose finance because I had the aptitude for it," he said. "Finance came easily for me and in banking you could still work with people."
In August of 1991, he married his high school sweetheart, Shelly Moore of Marion.
"We had dated five years, and she wanted more of a commitment from me," Padgett said, smiling.
In January of 1992, Padgett accepted a position as a consumer lending officer with American General Finance in Manhattan. He worked there for two years and then transferred to Lawton, Okla., to become a branch manager with the same company.
"In the Lawton office, I worked with some great ladies," Padgett said. "They were a really diverse group of women."
Padgett said that although he enjoyed his staff, the pressure to perform at the finance company was tremendous and sometimes overwhelming.
"I wasn't happy doing that," he said. "I longed for the small-town life where I grew up. So, when I heard through my in-laws about a position that was open at Central National Bank in Marion, I applied for it."
Padgett contacted Larry Reiswig, who was president of the bank at that time, and was hired on Aug. 1, 1995. Padgett started working full-time as a loan officer for both the Hillsboro and Marion, dividing his time between the two offices.
As the company grew and began to reorganize and acquire other small banking institutions, Padgett was named market president of the Central National Bank in Hillsboro. He has served in that position for five years now.
As market president, Padgett's duties include running the day-to-day operations of management. He is responsible mainly for the commercial and agricultural lending accounts and some limited consumer loans.
"I do help with customer service and consumer loans when I need to, but I leave that to the ladies in charge," he said. "They are more efficient at it than I am, since they do it more often."
The Hillsboro branch office will be moving to a new location in mid-May.
"We've outgrown our facilities here, and we need to offer our customers additional services, such as a drive-through window."
Padgett has involved himself in the Hillsboro community by serving as city council president for the past four years. He will not seek another term this year.
He was a board member of Hillsboro Development Corporation and served as city council representative on that board. He also served as a council representative for the Hillsboro Golf Association.
As a member of the Hillsboro Kiwanis, he has served as past president and board member. He is currently a board member of the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce.
In the banking area, he is a 2001 graduate of the Schools of Banking in Colorado. He has served with various bank committees and has served two years as a member of the Schools of Banking lending advisory board for the Kansas and Nebraska banking schools.
Padgett said between meetings for the bank, city council, Kiwanis and other various board meetings, he doesn't have much time for hobbies.
He started to play golf about five years ago and said he does some hunting in the winter time.
"After all the meetings, it's kind of nice to just stay at home," Padgett said.
Home for Padgett, wife, Shelly, and dog, Alex, has been Hillsboro for the past seven years.
"I'm happy in Hillsboro," Padgett said. "We love living here, and I still love the small-town atmosphere. It's nice to know that I can leave my truck running at the post office when I go to pick up the mail."
