April 25, 2025 • 6 mins
Chris Turner, Commercial Market President with First Financial Bank joins us for a Talk of the Town!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's Talk of the Town on news radio with thirteen
hundred and one oh six nine FM Steve Kelly from
West Michigan's Morning News. They're relatively new at one twenty Ottawa,
but you can't miss our friends at First Financial Bank
and in studio with us Chris Turner, the commercial market
president who oversees the First Financial team here in Grand Rapids. Chris,
thanks for coming in.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Hey, good morning, Steve, and thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Welcome back. I guess you've been here for your whole career.
Chris talked to us a little bit first of all
about First Financial.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
So, First Financial Bank was founded in eighteen sixty three,
one of the oldest banks in the country, new to Michigan,
but not new to banking headquarters Cincinnati, Ohio. First Financial
Bank is approximately twenty billion dollar bank in five states,
now Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and now Michigan. And we
(00:56):
are the tip of the spear when it comes to
the state of Michigan, and we're looking forward to taking
First Financial throughout the state.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
I was one of those people that in my early
radio career, went around for a while as an Air
Force bratt but found West Michigan to be the best
place in the world. I told my wife, Sandy, you
know what, let's just ride it out here. Let's just
do what we can do. And what a decision it
was all those years ago. But what brought you guys here?
From First Financial point of view, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Sure so, Steve, I've been in Michigan my virtual of
my entire life. But First Financial Bank, I think two
three years ago, began looking at some acquisitions in the
state of Michigan, and for one reason or another, those
acquisitions just didn't pan out. And then when I met
the folks from First Financial, they said, would you have
(01:45):
an interest in starting the bank for the state of Michigan.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
And it was a resounding yes. It was great.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
But so they had done their due diligence. They spent
a lot of time in the market, and for again,
for one reason or another, acquisition didn't work out. But
to my good fortune and hopefully First Financials good fortune,
things worked out the way they did.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
We are talking to the commercial market president who oversees
First Financial here in Grand Rapids. You can find out
more at Bank at First dot com. That's Bank at
First dot Com. Talk to us a little bit about
your perspective about it being a company to work for, right,
you could have done anything with your career and here
you are in this job.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Yes, So I was looking to make a change, and
I would tell you a lot of the banks that
I looked at to go to, they all look the same,
being you want to be with a bank that has
size and scale to take care of the business here
in West Michigan. But again, so many of the banks,
they all look the same. You can change the logo.
(02:46):
And when I met the folks from First Financial, the
tagline is it's just different here, and literally, I mean
that's almost the internal tagline. And they say that from
a cultural perspective, but I would say I found that
out first from a business perspective, and what's different about
them and what's different about us.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
It's only been ninety days. So the thing.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Is that they do they will take great capabilities that
they have that all the the big banks have all
these capabilities, and they take it down to the lower
middle market companies, which is a big part of West Michigan.
And that's a big part of the folks that I
know in the market, and that those are the folks
that I want to work with.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
We again are talking to Chris Turner, the commercial market
president who oversees the First Financial team here in Grand Rapids.
There one twenty Ottawa and the website is bankat first
dot com. So talk to us a little bit more
about that about what First Financial is focused with here
in West Michigan. I mean, my gosh, we just this
(03:46):
week had another groundbreaking for a stadium. It is a
place where it seems as if there's a great effort
to bring to attract and retain talent and people and
businesses all over that has to come into play.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Yes, absolutely again West Michigan. Living here virtually my entire life.
West Michigan is a fantastic place to live, to raise
your family, to do business, and what a.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Great quality of life we're blessed to have.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
And I think First Financial saw that First Financial, again,
headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, is a Midwest bank. You won't
find us branching out to Texas. You won't find us
branching out to Florida. You won't find us going to California,
because that's where the.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Growth is, folks.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
We are a Midwest community bank that has the size
and scale to serve the clients that we want to
work with. Again, twenty billion dollar bank has all the
capabilities to serve the West Michigan market and Michigan in general.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
I'm on the website bank at First dot com bank, borrow,
investment and retirement, trust in a state resources, fetch our
best CD rate. You guys offer a little something for
everybody when it comes to personal banking, commercial banking, all
of that good stuff.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Yeah, we have Yellow Cardinals, a wholly owned subsidiary that's
our private bank, and our private bank will not tell
you you have to have a million or two million
dollars of investable assets to be able part of the
private bank. And those are some of the things again
that I enjoy. We meet you where you're at in life.
We can serve all cycles. We're primarily focused in West
(05:29):
Michigan on business, but the business owners, their families, their employers,
those are the people that we're here to serve.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
I'm listening to the program right now or maybe on
the podcast after it airs on wood Radio, and I'd
like to find out more information. What's the best way
to do that. I always tell you to peruse the
website bank at first dot com. But can we set
up an appointment, come in and sit out.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Absolutely yes, and the.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Best way to do that through the website as well.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Yes, you'll find locations West Michigan's on there and go
right to our local website and our contacts and you can.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Reach right out to us, send us an email.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
We'll do it again. It's at one twenty Ottawa Write
downtown Grand Rapids. Chris Turner, the commercial market president overseeing
First Financial here in Grand Rapids. Welcome to town, as
it were, and thanks for coming on the program.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Hey, thanks so much, Steve appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
This is Talk of the Town on news Radio with
thirteen hundred and one oh six nine FM.
It's Talk of the Town on news radio with thirteen
hundred and one oh six nine FM Steve Kelly from
West Michigan's Morning News. They're relatively new at one twenty Ottawa,
but you can't miss our friends at First Financial Bank
and in studio with us Chris Turner, the commercial market
president who oversees the First Financial team here in Grand Rapids. Chris,
thanks for coming in.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Hey, good morning, Steve, and thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Welcome back. I guess you've been here for your whole career.
Chris talked to us a little bit first of all
about First Financial.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
So, First Financial Bank was founded in eighteen sixty three,
one of the oldest banks in the country, new to Michigan,
but not new to banking headquarters Cincinnati, Ohio. First Financial
Bank is approximately twenty billion dollar bank in five states,
now Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and now Michigan. And we
(00:56):
are the tip of the spear when it comes to
the state of Michigan, and we're looking forward to taking
First Financial throughout the state.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
I was one of those people that in my early
radio career, went around for a while as an Air
Force bratt but found West Michigan to be the best
place in the world. I told my wife, Sandy, you
know what, let's just ride it out here. Let's just
do what we can do. And what a decision it
was all those years ago. But what brought you guys here?
From First Financial point of view, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
Sure so, Steve, I've been in Michigan my virtual of
my entire life. But First Financial Bank, I think two
three years ago, began looking at some acquisitions in the
state of Michigan, and for one reason or another, those
acquisitions just didn't pan out. And then when I met
the folks from First Financial, they said, would you have
(01:45):
an interest in starting the bank for the state of Michigan.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
And it was a resounding yes. It was great.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
But so they had done their due diligence. They spent
a lot of time in the market, and for again,
for one reason or another, acquisition didn't work out. But
to my good fortune and hopefully First Financials good fortune,
things worked out the way they did.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
We are talking to the commercial market president who oversees
First Financial here in Grand Rapids. You can find out
more at Bank at First dot com. That's Bank at
First dot Com. Talk to us a little bit about
your perspective about it being a company to work for, right,
you could have done anything with your career and here
you are in this job.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Yes, So I was looking to make a change, and
I would tell you a lot of the banks that
I looked at to go to, they all look the same,
being you want to be with a bank that has
size and scale to take care of the business here
in West Michigan. But again, so many of the banks,
they all look the same. You can change the logo.
(02:46):
And when I met the folks from First Financial, the
tagline is it's just different here, and literally, I mean
that's almost the internal tagline. And they say that from
a cultural perspective, but I would say I found that
out first from a business perspective, and what's different about
them and what's different about us.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
It's only been ninety days. So the thing.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Is that they do they will take great capabilities that
they have that all the the big banks have all
these capabilities, and they take it down to the lower
middle market companies, which is a big part of West Michigan.
And that's a big part of the folks that I
know in the market, and that those are the folks
that I want to work with.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
We again are talking to Chris Turner, the commercial market
president who oversees the First Financial team here in Grand Rapids.
There one twenty Ottawa and the website is bankat first
dot com. So talk to us a little bit more
about that about what First Financial is focused with here
in West Michigan. I mean, my gosh, we just this
(03:46):
week had another groundbreaking for a stadium. It is a
place where it seems as if there's a great effort
to bring to attract and retain talent and people and
businesses all over that has to come into play.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Yes, absolutely again West Michigan. Living here virtually my entire life.
West Michigan is a fantastic place to live, to raise
your family, to do business, and what a.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Great quality of life we're blessed to have.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
And I think First Financial saw that First Financial, again,
headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, is a Midwest bank. You won't
find us branching out to Texas. You won't find us
branching out to Florida. You won't find us going to California,
because that's where the.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Growth is, folks.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
We are a Midwest community bank that has the size
and scale to serve the clients that we want to
work with. Again, twenty billion dollar bank has all the
capabilities to serve the West Michigan market and Michigan in general.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
I'm on the website bank at First dot com bank, borrow,
investment and retirement, trust in a state resources, fetch our
best CD rate. You guys offer a little something for
everybody when it comes to personal banking, commercial banking, all
of that good stuff.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Yeah, we have Yellow Cardinals, a wholly owned subsidiary that's
our private bank, and our private bank will not tell
you you have to have a million or two million
dollars of investable assets to be able part of the
private bank. And those are some of the things again
that I enjoy. We meet you where you're at in life.
We can serve all cycles. We're primarily focused in West
(05:29):
Michigan on business, but the business owners, their families, their employers,
those are the people that we're here to serve.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
I'm listening to the program right now or maybe on
the podcast after it airs on wood Radio, and I'd
like to find out more information. What's the best way
to do that. I always tell you to peruse the
website bank at first dot com. But can we set
up an appointment, come in and sit out.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Absolutely yes, and the.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Best way to do that through the website as well.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Yes, you'll find locations West Michigan's on there and go
right to our local website and our contacts and you can.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Reach right out to us, send us an email.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
We'll do it again. It's at one twenty Ottawa Write
downtown Grand Rapids. Chris Turner, the commercial market president overseeing
First Financial here in Grand Rapids. Welcome to town, as
it were, and thanks for coming on the program.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Hey, thanks so much, Steve appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
This is Talk of the Town on news Radio with
thirteen hundred and one oh six nine FM.
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