IDA GROVE — When United Bank of Iowa (UBI) was first named “Iowa’s No. 1 Ag Bank” in 2005 by the American Bankers Association, then President and CEO Ken Van Kekerix attributed the distinction to three attributes: the right attitude and the right people; the desire to figure out how to make the right loan work; and being in rural Iowa where agriculture is abundant.

Owen Bolte, the current chairman of the board who also has a background in agriculture, continued the vision of a strong commitment to agriculture while serving as president for 14 years.

UBI is celebrating its 20th year as the No. 1 ag bank in Iowa, and Dan Dotzler, current president and CEO echoes the same reason these two decades later.

“Having the right people has absolutely been key,” said Dotzler. “So many of our ag lenders grew up in ag; they currently are farming or are part of a farm lineage or have a side business in farming. They’re not just working with our customers, they are living the farm life themselves, dealing with grain pricing and weather conditions. Farming affects their pocketbook just like the customers they serve.”

In addition to choosing the right employees, UBI fosters their employees’ contributions through an ag loan training program.

“We take a handful of ag loan employees annually and invest in training them,” said Todd Schultz, senior vice president chief ag loan officer. “Most employees come in with at least some basic ag background, and some come with an ag degree in addition to that background. Training focuses on providing our people with a general understanding of the financial tools we have available to help our customers.”

Schultz maintains that UBI continues to be the No. 1 ag bank in Iowa because they see each customer as unique.

“We don’t take a cookie-cutter approach to loans,” said Schultz. “Every farmer, every situation is different. Our assumption is that we are going to make a successful loan, helping our customer to be successful. Our young employees know that they have a toolbox to help every distinctly different customer and customer situation.”

UBI also fosters continual mentoring from senior loan officers, according to Schultz; the company employs approximately 75 ag lenders who have access to experience throughout the ranks.

Dotzler also lauds personal ag-lender relationships which have resulted in high marks from UBI’s customers.

“Our relationships build over time and last for generations,” said Dotzler. “We have extremely loyal customers due to our strong relationships. Our customers are everyone from that little 4-H kid buying livestock for the first time to some of the world’s biggest ag producers. We’re all blessed to have the jobs we do working with people who feed the world. We have a strong board of directors who contribute to these relationships.”

Succession planning is also a part of the service that UBI offers.

“We have many customers who we’ve been with for decades,” said Schultz. “We want our customers to succeed, and we think highly of them as we believe they do us. We do anything within our power to make sure they accomplish their goals and that their heirs do too. It’s a global world with so many variables to the economy, so not everything is under our control. When something doesn’t go right, we also question ourselves concerning what we could have done better. It’s always gratifying to see our customers grow their portfolio.”

It’s not just the seasoned farmer, however, who gets UBI’s attention.

“Last September, we unveiled our ‘Beginning Farmer’ program,” said Schultz. “We wanted to assist young people who are entering the market. When sons and daughters become involved in an operation — perhaps they are going to farm an 80 — we have a plan for him or her to contribute toward that person’s success. For the first 10 years of that person’s farming career, we offer promotional rate and term features to their loan structure.”

UBI offices are mostly set in rural Iowa, and the company says that’s intentional.

“In our 35-location setting, most of our offices reside in communities that don’t have a stop light,” said Schultz. “Our customers like being able to walk into a local bank to discuss their needs. They don’t want to talk with someone across the country over the phone; they enjoy coming through our doors for a face-to-face conversation with a person who also has an ag background.”

Schultz — like Dotzler — has a background in farming.

“My family had a farrowing, cattle and grain operation. I helped my dad with all aspects of farming starting at an early age and continued to help as needed while working as a banker,” said Schultz. “Having deep roots in agriculture is one of our most important assets.”