Dr. Colton Wicks and wife, Dr. Katie Wicks were the recipients of the first awarded BIG (Building Improvement Grant) check for their historic preservation efforts at their Paris Optical office downtown – 15 E. Plaza.
The Building Improvement Grant was made possible by the efforts of the Paris Main Street program, the Historic Preservation Committee, and a large donation by the Paris Downtown Association.
The Wicks updated the storefront of their office with ‘true to history’ style improvements. The building, which now houses Paris Optical, is an early 20th century structure that was the original home of the American National Bank.
“We are proud to be receiving this, and would like to thank Paris Main Street and the Historic Preservation Committee,” stated Dr. Colton Wicks. ”I had no idea what the original building looked like. It was really neat to see the historical architecture and learn about the history of our building.”
“Cheri Bedford (director of Paris Main Street) helped make the process very easy for us,” he continued.
Main Street, HPC and City officials were invited to Paris Optical last week for the presentation of the check to the Wicks, while introducing the new modifications to the public.
The Main Street BIG check was a 50/50 matching grant in the amount of $5000, and the Historical Preservation Committee presented the Facade Grant check for $2500.
After winning Anita Perry’s First Lady Texas Treasure Award for our preservation efforts, downtown and great community, it is safe to say that Paris has one of the best downtowns in Texas. Without the efforts of people like the Wicks and other downtown business and home owners, as well as the Historical Preservation Committee and the Paris Main Street program, we wouldn’t have the downtown that we do.
This photo shows the new remodeling done by the Wicks to Paris Optical, winning them the two grants from HPC and Main Street. The signage is new, as are the metal window lattices on the right of image, which were made in the original early 1900′s style. The eagle at the top was completely repainted, and the lettering ‘American National Bank’ was exposed, adding to the history of the building, after it was covered in remodeling of previous years.
Seifried & Brew LLC, a community bank risk management firm, named Lamar National Bank in its 2012 Top 15th Percentile of Community Banks. To gain entry into this distinguished ranking, the Bank demonstrated exemplary performance of balancing risk and reward based on the Bank’s S&B Total Risk/Return Composite Ranking. This is no small feat considering that the Bank not only survived the Financial Crisis but actually thrived. This supports Seifried & Brew’s belief that conservative, traditional community banking is the strength of our financial system.
“We are pleased to be recognized for the performance of Lamar National Bank. This is a reflection of our outstanding staff’s adherence to our motto of “Relationship Banking at its Best,” stated Michael Rhodes, President. “There is an intense regulatory burden placed on community banks in a very challenging banking environment. We are proud that despite these challenges we have continued to be considered among the best community banks in the nation.”
In S&B’s newest book, The Art of Capital Planning – The “How-To” Guide, the authors clearly demonstrate that the difference between the banks that failed and those that survived the Financial Crisis, or even those that prospered, was each bank’s ability to optimize risk. While the word “optimize” sounds incongruous with the threats of risk, the truth is that community banks make money from managed risk. Those banks ranking in the 2012 S&B Top 15th Percentile of Community Banks epitomize such optimization of managed risk.
April’s Business of the Month award goes to Ballard Insurance Agency.
Chad Johnston won the $500 for nominating Ballard Insurance. East Texas Broadcasting and the Paris EDC were sponsors this month.
Pictured, from left: Shannon Jones of the PEDC, Chad Johnston works at Campbell Soup, Ronnie and Vicki Ballard, Zeke Zander of East Texas Radio, and Director of R3bi Hank Betke.
May will be the last month for this contest.
Seifried & Brew LLC, a community bank risk management firm, named Peoples Bank in its 2012 Top 15th Percentile of Community Banks. To gain entry into this distinguished ranking, the Bank demonstrated exemplary performance of balancing risk and reward based on the Bank’s S&B Total Risk/Return Composite Ranking. This is no small feat considering that the Bank not only survived the Financial Crisis but actually thrived. This supports Seifried & Brew’s belief that conservative, traditional community banking is the strength of our financial system.
Established in 1988, Peoples Bank has been serving the banking needs of its neighbors and friends for 25 years. It operates through three conveniently located offices in Paris and can also be found on the internet at www.pbparis.com.
In S&B’s newest book, The Art of Capital Planning – The “How-To” Guide, the authors clearly demonstrate that the difference between the banks that failed and those that survived the Financial Crisis, or even those that prospered, was each bank’s ability to optimize risk. While the word “optimize” sounds incongruous with the threats of risk, the truth is that community banks make money from managed risk. Those banks ranking in the 2012 S&B Top 15th Percentile of Community Banks epitomize such optimization of managed risk.
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