Banker, accountant, volunteer, board member and more. Summit Community Bank Regional President GEOFF SHEILS epitomizes what it means to be a community leader.
By Amanda Larch
HQ 125 | SPRING 2024
Huntington’s newest bank recently opened the doors to its brand-new facility right next to Marshall University, but there’s a familiar face behind the regional president’s desk.
Huntington native Geoff Sheils was the man tapped to lead Summit Community Bank’s newest location. A 1986 graduate of Marshall University and a certified public accountant, Sheils started his long and distinguished career in the banking industry as a part-time teller in 1982 and climbed the ranks at First Huntington National Bank (later acquired by Bank One and Chase) before being named president and CEO of First Sentry Bank. There, he led the institution for nearly two decades resulting in the bank’s phenomenal growth. From 1997 to 2018, Sheils helped grow the bank’s assets from the initial capital invested of $6 million to over $730 million before First Sentry was acquired by Wesbanco.
He is a past chair of the West Virginia Bankers Association and currently serves as chair of the Marshall University Board of Governors. He has also sat on the boards at the Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Huntington Museum of Art, United Way, YMCA, Foundation for the Tri State Community, Huntington Area Development Council, and much more.
It’s easy to see why he was recruited to lead Summit’s newest branch, a two-story, 6,700-square-foot facility located at 2218 Fifth Ave. in Huntington.
“This a statement branch,” said Charles Maddy III, CEO of Summit Financial Group Inc. “We don’t spend this type of money in a town where we don’t think we’re going to find great success. You won’t find all our offices quite this lavish, quite this elaborate.”
Visitors to the new bank will find large photos throughout of Marshall University and Huntington landmarks. Sheils’ own office is covered in a portion of his vast Thundering Herd sports memorabilia collection. You’ll find the rest of his collection in the man cave at his home.
Situated next to Marshall University, Summit’s location illustrates the bank’s emphasis on community, Sheils said. He added Summit differs from big box banks in many key ways.
“Community isn’t only in the name; it’s how we do business. Decision making and authority in handling customer issues has largely been delegated to the local community leaders so we can take care of the customer without having to say, ‘We’ll get back to you,’ or, We have to talk to corporate,’” Sheils explained.
One can tell the passion Sheils has for community banking; and when Brad Ritchie, president of Summit Community Bank, recognized a need for Summit to expand into Cabell County, Sheils jumped at the opportunity.
At the bank’s ribbon cutting ceremony in January, Sheils acknowledged the bank’s gutsy decision to make such a large investment in “bricks and mortar” when so many customers rely more and more on technology to do their banking. At the ceremony Sheils said the day was one of “enormous pride.”
“I have so much pride in Huntington, and this new bank will transform a blighted city block into a beautiful site that will become a hub of vibrant commercial activity,” Sheils said. “I also have pride in my alma mater, and this large investment adjacent to campus is emblematic of the transformation that is taking place at Marshall. Finally, I take pride in the fact that Summit Community Bank believed in Huntington as a place where it can make a difference in our region.”
The branch has 10 employees at present, but Sheils emphasized that “there’s room to grow, and we expect to grow.” There are two drive-thru lanes and an interactive teller machine (ITM) that allows customers to cash checks, make deposits and more with virtual assistance from an on-screen teller who is located at Summit’s operation center in Moorefield, West Virginia.
“The ITM effectively expands our drive-thru hours,” Sheils explained. “The hours on the door may say 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday, but our effective hours are really 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays,” Sheils said. “The ITM is awesome, and I believe Summit is the first in Huntington to utilize this technology. The more people know about it, the more they will take advantage of it.”
Offering personal and business banking, Summit is led by a management team of West Virginians with vast community banking experience and expertise. The bank started in 1883 as the South Branch Valley National Bank in Moorefield, West Virginia, where its corporate headquarters are today. Over the years, it has established new offices and bought other community banks. Today its footprint encompasses over 50 branches throughout West Virginia as well as Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the Washington, D.C., area.
“The reason I chose Summit and the reason I think I have been able to attract others from similar environments to join me is the bank’s culture,” Sheils said. “Simply put, it’s a culture of trying to find a way to make something work for the customer. In other words, let’s figure out a way to say ‘yes’ to a customer versus finding ways to say ‘no’ just because it may not fit in the box. That’s the differentiator.”
Summit Community Bank recently announced its merger with Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust, which, pending regulatory approval, is expected to go into effect in mid-2024.
“They’re a very talented, well-run, well-respected bank in northern Virginia,” Sheils said. “It’s an exciting time. We bring a lot to the combined table as Summit, and they bring a lot to the combined table as Burke & Herbert. I think it is going to be a very vibrant organization with a great future.”
Though Summit will eventually change its name to Burke & Herbert Bank in late 2024 or early 2025, Sheils said local branches will continue to operate as a community bank making meaningful differences.Sheils said he fully believes Summit will have increased employment, with corporate headquarters in northern Virginia and the potential to establish operational headquarters in West Virginia.
“Burke & Herbert is a name that means an incredible amount to those in northern Virginia,” Sheils noted. “In fact, the bank and its name started in 1852 — before West Virginia was even a state. It is the oldest continuously operated bank in Virginia. We’re confident that Burke & Herbert will become a household name in West Virginia. But when you get down to it, people don’t bank at a bank because of the name — they bank because of the people behind the name. That won’t change, and the ability to help the customer won’t change.”
In 2020, Sheils agreed to come to Summit to help start its presence in Huntington. Soon after, Summit acquired the local MVB branches in Huntington, Barboursville and Hurricane. Now, Summit has a drive-thru facility on Route 60 in Barboursville and full-service branches in downtown Barboursville and Hurricane, in addition to the new Huntington facility, to expand its reach into eastern Cabell and Putnam counties.
“From talking with our leadership, Summit didn’t consider themselves a totally West Virginia bank without a presence in Cabell County and Huntington, so this completed the West Virginia puzzle for them,” Sheils said. “I love that they weren’t afraid to make an investment in this city, and to show the confidence and faith they have in me and this Huntington team to justify this investment is enormous to me. I don’t take that lightly.”
As a lifelong resident of Huntington, civic leader and unabashed supporter of Marshall University, Sheils said it means everything to him to remain in Huntington and be part of a successful West Virginia-based banking business.
“When I look at lot of the developments and the resurgence in downtown Huntington, I see our fingerprints on them,” he noted. “And when I look around at a lot of successful people in Huntington, I wonder if they would be as successful if they didn’t have a community bank supporting them when they started. I have been in banking for almost 42 years now in Huntington. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to help so many people achieve their goals. It really makes me feel good to see others accomplish so much. Summit gave me an opportunity to continue making a positive impact within this community, and that’s what is so exciting to me.”
