Falcon National Bank CEO, John Herges on Celebrating their 20th Anniversary and Growth to Nearly $1 Billion in Assets

CEOCFO and Falcon National Bank CEO, John Herges discuss His Passion to Serve and Experience to Lead, from the First De Novo Employee to Today’s Six Locations

SAINT CLOUD, MINNESOTA, UNITED STATES, October 4, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- CEOCFO Magazine, an independent business and investor publication that highlights important technologies and companies, today announced an interview with John Herges, CEO of Saint Cloud, MN-based Falcon National Bank, with branches in St. Cloud, Foley, Maple Grove, Ham Lakes, Isanti, and Richmond Minnesota.

To read the full interview visit:
https://www.ceocfointerviews.com/falconnationalbank23.html

During the interview with CEOCFO’s Editorial Executive Bud Wayne, giving us a little history of Falcon National Bank and how it all got started with a phone call, Mr. Herges said, “In late 2002, I received a call from Brian Bauerly. He told me they were starting a bank in Foley, Minnesota and they are looking for somebody to run it, be a partner, and an investor in it. The request caught me a little off guard. I told him I would give it some thought, but it did not take me too long. I called him back and told him to count me in. I was hired as the President and CEO of Falcon National Bank and the first order of business was to apply for a bank charter. We obtained the bank charter in early 2003 and opened our bank in Foley, Minnesota on July 1st, 2003.”

On explaining their growth over the years, Mr. Herges told Bud, “The franchise started in Foley, Minnesota back on July 1st, 2003. Back then our total assets were $4.5 million. In 2006, we branched into St. Cloud.

In 2012, we had an opportunity to buy a bank in Richmond, Minnesota. Richmond is about as far west of St. Cloud as Foley is east of St. Cloud. It fits into our geographic footprint very well. That gave us a location in Richmond. In 2014 we had an opportunity to buy another bank, Community Pride Bank. Community Pride had two locations: Ham Lake and Isanti, Minnesota. It fit nicely into our geographic plan, and we picked up two locations as a result. In 2021 we had an opportunity to buy Eagle Community bank in Maple Grove.” Herges describes Maple Grove as, “one of the fastest growing communities in the state.” He said “the location and the opportunity are what sold us on it. Now, we have six locations and just under $1 billion in total assets.”

When asked where future growth will come from, Mr. Herges offered, “Our equipment finance area is one area that I see future growth coming from. We have a great team and a great product … another area of growth is our SBA area. We are currently one of the largest SBA lenders in the state of Minnesota. The product also aligns with our target customer, small and mid-sized business, but also includes start-ups, expansions, and businesses changing ownership. Both our equipment finance and our SBA area are nationwide.

In terms of local markets, I see a lot of potential is in our two metro locations, Ham Lake and Maple Grove. When we bought Maple Grove, it was a small bank, but the reason we did it was because of the growth opportunities. Ham Lake is very similar; we will be putting resources in both of those areas to grow.”

In commenting about the qualities of his staff, Herges remarked “We have a motto at Falcon “Let’s think of a few reasons why it can be done.” Our lenders are passionate about finding the right solution for our customers. They think outside the box. They become our customer’s trusted advisors. They form personalized relationships with their customers. We hire people that share those core values.”

As for why Falcon National Bank is unique, Mr. Herges said, “We are celebrating our 20th anniversary this year. There are a lot of community banks that have been around for twenty years or more, but there are not very many that have a better story to tell in terms of growth than what we do.

We started in 2003, with $4.5 million in assets and today we are at nearly $1 billion. That is a great story to tell and how we did it is a testament to all our employees who helped us get there, our advisory boards in all six locations, our board of directors, our shareholders, and last but certainly not least our good customers.”

For more information:
Bud Wayne
Editorial Executive
CEOCFO Magazine
727-480-7070
budwayne@ceocfomagazine.com

Bud Wayne
CEOCFO Magazine
+ +1 727-480-7070
budwayne@ceocfomagazine.com