benchmark community bank
Allen Completes Graduate School of Banking at Colorado
August 31, 2023 - Benchmark Community Bank is pleased to announce that Earl J. (Jake) Allen of Farmville has completed the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado (GSBC). Allen was among 166 graduates of the 2023 class honored during ceremonies held on July 27, 2023, in Boulder, CO. A total of 501 students from across the nation were on the University of Colorado Boulder campus for the two-week program held July 16-28, 2023.
Currently serving as Benchmark’s Senior Vice President/Compliance/BSA Officer, Allen’s experience, education, and certifications allowed him to enter as a second-year student in the program’s 72nd Annual School Session. He received his diploma in banking after successfully completing two weeks of classroom training annually over a two-year period. Classes focused on financial management and strategy, innovation and engagement, leadership and culture, and lending.
“In his time with the Bank, Jake has built on a solid foundation of regulatory compliance policy and procedure that allows Benchmark to work exceedingly well with the various agencies that oversee banking,” said President/CEO Jay Stafford of Allen’s accomplishment. “We are very proud to support Jake as he continues on his banking journey.”
In addition to the on-site sessions, Allen’s training with the GSB at Colorado program included three intersession projects, as well as an extensive bank management simulation course during which students assume the roles of senior management of a commercial bank. Part of the process includes involving themselves in the group dynamics and managerial skills of managing a bank in a competitive environment with changing economic conditions.
According to GSBC President Michael Stevens, “The coursework and projects at GSBC strive to create technically sound and future-oriented community bank leaders. The ultimate beneficiary will be the consumers and businesses in the communities where these financial professionals serve.”
The Graduate School of Banking at Colorado is America’s Premier Community Banking School, boasting more than 8,000 alumni since its inception in 1950, and educating approximately 600 bankers and regulatory professionals from around the nation annually. GSBC prides itself on its commitment to providing unmatched higher education to America’s community bankers.
About Benchmark Community Bank - Benchmark Community Bank, founded in 1971, is headquartered in Kenbridge, VA. It is the sole subsidiary of Benchmark Bankshares, Inc. and operates seventeen banking offices throughout central Southside Virginia and northern North Carolina. The common stock of Benchmark Bankshares, Inc. trades on the OTC Pink marketplace under the symbol BMBN. Any stockbroker can assist with purchases of the company's stock, as well as with sales of holdings.
Contact: Helen Person, VP/Director of Marketing & Public Relations
(434) 676-2666 ext. 1103
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- Benchmark Bankshares, Inc. Reports Increased Earnings for Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2023
- Benchmark Announces Young, Allen Promotions for Area Markets
- Allen Completes Graduate School of Banking at Colorado
- Benchmark Bankshares, Inc. Reports Earnings for Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2023
- Benchmark Named to Top 200 Community Banks List for 17th Year
- Benchmark's Martin Completes LSU Graduate School of Banking
- Benchmark Community Bank Awards Scholarships to Area Youth
- Benchmark Bankshares, Inc. Reports Increased First Quarter Earnings
- Clifton Threat Joins Benchmark Bankshares Board of Directors
- Benchmark Bankshares, Inc. Reports 15% Increase in Earnings for Year Ended December 31, 2022
