This letter originally appeared in the Summer 2002 issue of Financial Partner (F.P.) magazine, Farm Credit of Maine's customer publication.

In the past few issues of F.P. magazine, I reviewed what makes us different from other lenders (see Unique Structure, Important Characteristics). Today, I will highlight another difference in our business. It is where the rubber meets the road in customer service — our loan officers.

Senior Vice President Richard (Dick) Robertson, with nearly 30 years experience making Farm Credit loans to family businesses in Maine, directs the lending activities of three well-trained and aggressive lending groups. Fred Morton, who has 23 years of Farm Credit lending experience, leads our corporate lending group. Rob Horne leads our coastal and interior lending group, and Pete Hallowell leads our Aroostook lending group. Both Rob and Pete have close to 10 years of commercial lending experience, each with seven years at Farm Credit.

Our loan officers possess a unique set of skills that truly set them apart from other lenders. That’s a deep understanding and commitment to Maine’s farming, forestry and fishing industries. This comes from personal experience and the ability to ask good questions.

I recently asked our loan officers to provide their own "off-the-cuff" observations about how Farm Credit differs from their competition.

 In their own words …

• Pete Hallowell says, "Commitment, focus and industry participation allow us to feel good about playing a small role in the success of our customers’ businesses."
• Steve DeWitt says, "Customers have sought advice from me many times throughout my career."
• Joe Vigue says that his strong customer relationships and industry knowledge "add a personal touch to my services."
• Ghent Holsworth, once a farmer himself, says, "I have a hard time to resist helping plant or harvest. During a recent farm visit, I manually covered 200 feet/4 rows of planted potatoes for a farmer who forgot to put the back of the planter down. I couldn’t help myself!"
• As Dick Robertson points out, "Our loan officers analyze, close and manage the entire lending relationship with support from a strong group of loan analysts and assistants." 
• Fred Morton adds that he provides access to national capital markets for some of the association’s largest loan relationships. "Customers view us as a business partner, not just a source of credit." 
• Scott Kenney (obviously trained by Fred!) points out, "An important role for a Farm Credit loan officer is to be a business partner with whom customers can share ideas, aspirations and strategic goals." 
• Bob Michaud says, "Our long-term customer relationships yield more value to our customers than short-term transaction lending. Our focus on serving customers at their business helps ensure that we understand their businesses. Customers appreciate our upfront answers and honesty, and our on-site visits where we may stand in the same barn they worked in all of their life." 
• Bob Heinrich, notes, "Response time is critical. My on-farm presence, knowledge of my customers’ businesses and industries and my loan assistant’s ability to provide a higher level of customer service are all very important." 
• Rob Horne stresses the importance of personal service. "I chuckle when a new customer asks if we need a loan number to discuss their account," he says. "We don’t need a loan number to know who our customers are."

This letter was an opportunity for me to review what so many of you already know — that your overall lending relationship is based on an ongoing relationship with your loan officer. I hope you all feel as good about your relationship with Farm Credit, as I do about the high caliber and dedication of our professional lending team. In my "unbiased" opinion, there is none better in the State of Maine!  

Raymond J. Nowak
President and CEO
Farm Credit of Maine

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