In honor of our 150^th anniversary in 2017 we are taking a look back at bank history and the people who have helped to shape our bank into the successful, secure institution that it is today. Read on to learn about one of our former presidents!

Steve Hunter

Steve Hunter became acquainted with Vinton County National Bank when he began serving as the bank’s Community Service Officer in 1975. At the time, asset size was about $18 million. By the time he retired in 2012 it was approximately $700 million. He was part of an era of growth and expansion that helped to shape the bank into what it is today.

A native of West Jefferson, Ohio, Steve holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture and a Masters Degree in Regional Planning from Ohio University.

He served as Director of Research for the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission prior to starting with the bank as Community Service Officer on September 1, 1975.

During his career with the bank, Steve served in a number of capacities that gave him a unique and broad understanding of how the company operates. He worked in lending, personnel, training and as the Marketing Director.

Steve was named Executive Vice President in 1984 and graduated from the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking in 1985. He was named to the Vinton County National Bank Board of Directors in 1987 before becoming Bank President on January 1, 1988. He served in that capacity until January 2000 when he became Chairman of the Vinton County National Bank Board.

He was CBI Vice Chairman when the Vinton County and Bremen Banks merged in 2009.

Steve has a vast knowledge of the bank’s history and can easily recite dates, stories, architectural tidbits and other information about the bank for a lot of its 150 year history. A walk through the McArthur office with Steve is like an architectural tour as he can easily recall stories from the bank’s history as they relate to the various expansion and remodeling projects.

He recalls a time in the early 1980’s when Bob Will Jr. told him to “go buy an Apple computer and make it do something.” He spearheaded the effort to bring personal computers into the bank, first using them to run monthly board reports and create spreadsheets while looking for other ways to incorporate the technology into the bank.

Steve went on to oversee numerous construction projects and to coordinate several acquisitions including those in Chillicothe, Laurelville, Logan and Richmond Dale.

One of his most significant contributions to the bank is the work he did to break into the Chillicothe market. This new, bigger market offered tremendous opportunity for growth that was close to the bank’s first home in McArthur. Today the offices in this market continue to thrive and market share is still growing.

Steve remains actively involved at the bank, serving as a Trustee for Community BancShares, Inc. His wife Trudy is retired from Vinton County Local Schools and they have one son, Marty, who is a Certified Public Accountant in New York City.

The couple reside in Chillicothe but enjoy traveling and spending winters in the South.

Learn more about VCNB Presidents! Click the links below to read about those we have profiled so far this year.

Daniel Will
Aaron Will
John L. Will
Robert B. Will, Sr.
J.G. Will
Robert B. Will Jr.
George Booth