Culture is key at Heartland Bank, and the associates are the contributing factor behind the work environment that keeps people and even attracts new talent to a community bank that in recent years has grown significantly. Job functions, responsibilities and everyday duties are obvious parts of the workplace environment, but associates like John Kenkel boost the overall feeling of community and camaraderie that exists even within the ranks of the associates.
John Kenkel joined Heartland Bank after the Victory Community Bank merger with Heartland in April of 2020. He is the manager of residential loan origination for Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati. John is responsible for leading the residential lending team in this market and also originates many of his own deals. “I am super proud of the production we have been able to complete since the merger. We were hit hard with refinances in 2020 and continued with high volume and quality loans throughout 2021.”
“It’s important for our clients to understand that at the core, Heartland is a Community Bank. Each and every associate at Heartland treats their clients with dignity and honesty that sadly, you just don’t find at every bank.” With barely over a year servicing clients under the Heartland Bank name, John clearly understands the culture and contributes to building an environment that empowers individuals and supports camaraderie.
With a client-facing position at Heartland, John realizes that the consumer and the client are the integral parts to a successful lending equation. “No matter the circumstances, always put the client as your number one priority.” This is done with quality and excellence as the final segments of the equation. “Quality is your everyday standard you must meet to fulfill your obligations, not only at work, but also in normal day to day life. Excellence is what we all strive for to go above and beyond that standard. Excellence will separate you from your competition and make you the best version of yourself while also setting a great example for those around you.”
According to SVP, Director of Mortgage Banking Matthew Booms, “John is an integral part of the Mortgage team, whose customer-centric efforts have helped Heartland build brand recognition in the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati market. Throughout the past two years, John has contributed significant sales production, provided constructive feedback to help improve our process, and is a well-rounded leader. We look for John to continue to build the Greater Cincinnati sales team as well as using his industry knowledge to help set our brand apart from the competition.”
John grew up in Union, Kentucky, and attended the University of Cincinnati. He lives in Park Hills, Kentucky, and enjoys attending sporting events in Cincinnati, walk/play with his bulldog Patsy, golf with friends and spend time with family around the pool. “I also enjoy attending community events, but the best one is probably the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation walk that we do each year to benefit juvenile diabetes. My nephew, Evan, who is Type 1, is easily one of my favorite people in the world. Being a big fan of the Reds, I also support their community fund which focuses on outreach to kids.”
Heartland associates are active in their communities while concentrating on providing a safe and comfortable bank environment for their clients and coworkers. If you’re looking for banking relationship that offers a great atmosphere with confident and caring associates, stop in any one of our 18 Heartland Bank branches today!