Blogs

A Culture for Success Built by four generations of cheesemakers, this family-owned cheese company is undoubtedly a master of its craft. Their award-winning cheese continues to draw even greater demand—and to help fill it, our financial solutions deliver on a special recipe of its own. “We feel very fortunate to have them as a partner. They’re local and their services are top-notch and can compete with any bank—that makes it a really good relationship.” —Co-Owner, Cheese Company “Our relationship with our bank started back in the ’80s, and through the years they’ve continued to provide the...

Commercial construction costs hinge on two primary categories: materials and skilled labor. Therefore, when both are in short supply and more expensive, already small profit margins contract even further. To counteract rising costs, many CRE firms simply raise their prices—which could further negatively affect the industry. First, there was Covid-19. Then came widespread labor shortages. Supply chain collapses saw rising commercial construction costs dig into profit margins worldwide. And now—to top it all off—there’s inflation. Rising steel prices, peaking at nearly $2,000/ton have affected...

While we may not have a magic wand to reveal the future, we have the next best thing! View our 2021 Mid-Year Economic Update webinar to catch a glimpse of how your business may be impacted by possible market and industry trends. Leading economist, Anirban Basu, Chairman and CEO of Sage Policy Group, Inc., delivers an insightful, entertaining “Chamber of Data” themed presentation that pays a subtle homage to the Harry Potter series. Don’t worry, we didn’t let the sorcery get out of hand. During this webinar, Basu delivered economic data and an analysis juxtaposing the pre-pandemic and pandemic...

The farm labor shortage, soaring fertilizer prices, and increasing inflation can easily put a damper on what otherwise should be a favorable time for agriculture. While the effects of these price fluctuations can be mitigated, doing so requires careful planning and preparation. The farming industry—like every industry—has had to grapple with significant (and in some cases systemic) changes over the past few years in the way it conducts business. Demand for row crops, fresh produce, and nuts and berries has stayed robust. But the lingering after-effects of Covid-19 persist, causing supply chain...

Protecting your business from increasingly sophisticated fraud tactics is a challenge, especially in the continuing remote and hybrid working environment. As businesses have evolved their payment strategies and operational controls in this “new normal”, fraudsters are adapting to take advantage of vulnerabilities created in this changing landscape. Our bank experts share shifting fraud trends in the payment environment, fraudsters’ evolving sophisticated tactics, common types of fraud that may impact your business as well as best practices and steps you can take to mitigate risk and protect...