Bob Heiple wanted to work with a familiar face and come back home.
He got both when he recently joined First National Bank of Pennsylvania as regional banking executive and cross functional sales leader.
Heiple, 64, said he previously worked with John Williams, FNB president.
"I had worked with John Williams at Mellon Bank," Heiple said. "I wanted to come back and work with John."
A Johnstown native, Heiple had been working at Fifth Third Bank in Lexington, Ky., where he had held multiple roles since 1994.
He previously had worked in commercial banking management at Integra Financial Corp., Equibank and Mellon Bank in western Pennsylvania.
Fact Box
THE HEIPLE FILE
Name: Bob Heiple
Age: 64
Position: Regional banking executive and cross functional sales leader for First National Bank of Pennsylvania
Education: 1965 graduate of Johnstown Central High School; bachelor's degree in economics from Lafayette College; MBA in finance from University of Michigan's Graduate School of Business
Family: Wife, Janet; four children; one granddaughter
"When I left Johnstown, it was because I wanted a bigger stage for my career. As my career winds down I am excited to be back near my hometown area and be part of central Pennsylvania," Heiple said.
Based in State College, Heiple is responsible for developing the overall business strategy for an 11-county region that includes State College, Altoona, Hollidaysburg and Johnstown.
"In a nutshell, we are trying to make FNB a broad-based bank that doesn't focus on product lines but focuses on relationships," he said.
Heiple reports to Frank Krieder, executive vice president of commercial banking.
"We were thrilled when we had the opportunity to add Bob to our leadership team," Krieder said. "He has a genuine interest in the individuals and businesses we serve, and his personable style fits well with our community banking approach."
Heiple said banks' biggest challenge today is regaining the confidence and trust of customers.
"Commercial banks like FNB are different than the investment banks. When problems hit a downward spiral, it was exacerbated by the investment banks but we all got painted that we were the problem," Heiple said. "We are the solution, not the problem. We are here to be a solution and are not asking for government bailouts."
Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 946-7467.
