New bank president has experience at Hillsboro, Peabody banks

Marion residents will see a familiar face when they walk into Central National Bank and meet the new president.

Brad Bartel spent several years at Emprise Bank at Hillsboro, and bAefore that was at Peabody State Bank. He started at CNB last Wednesday.

Bartel has been in the banking field 35 years.

He has a degree in agricultural economics from Kansas State University.

He started his career in farm credit and later worked as an Ag lender.

While working at Emprise, he completed studies at Graduate School of Banking at Colorado.

Bartel, a native of Marion County, said Marion and the county have an outlook that fits with his own.

He has been part of the Marion County Bankers Association, Kiwanis, Hillsboro Development Corporation, Central Kansas Community Foundation, USD 410, and his local church.

“It’s another opportunity within the county to support economic development and growth,” Bartel said of his new role at CNB. “I find that with Central, their priorities really match mine.”

So far, he hasn’t been able to get out and mingle with the people in the community as much as he wished, but has met some people who come into the bank. He looks forward to being able to meet more people.

He and his wife, Rita, will continue to live in Hillsboro for the time being. Rita works at the Special Education Cooperative in Marion, and the Bartels plan to eventually move to Marion.