POTTER – In 1908 the founding fathers of the Potter State Bank set in motion the wheels of “Family Style Banking” that would become the standard by which the bank operates today.

The Potter State Bank was chartered in 1908 with the corporation beginning on Jan. 2 of that year. It was purchased by its current owners, the Enevoldsen family, in 1945.

Current president, Kirk Enevoldsen has helped to guide the bank from being more than just a financial institution.

“We strive for total interaction with our customers,” he said from his open office at the bank.The interaction is evident by its design, the bank features no harsh walls blocking views into offices, and no doors to close to customers.

Enevoldsen said, “We designed the bank so that everything was in the open for our customers.”The lack of doors keeps the bank honest with their statement of “Family Style Banking” that they live by.

More than just family style banking though, Enevodlsen said every staff member at the bank is involved in a service organization that works for the betterment of the town.

Something he does as well by serving with the Lions Club and with the Potter Foundation.“We serve not as directors, but as members of the group,” he said of his and his brothers activities in local service organizations.

With the community stretching itself to reach a population of 400, the Potter State Bank remains a pillar in the community, economically speaking.

Despite the news of banks floundering, Enevoldsen said the Potter State Bank has held true to its conservative principles.

“We kept our conservative principles and didn’t get involved in the sub-prime lending,” he said, “We also didn’t invest in high risk investments.”

That’s not to say that they don’t take chances though. But instead of working towards the fast boom, Enevoldsen said they operate on the standards that his dad and grandfather operated on.

“We help our customers to grow at an acceptable pace instead of booming and the busting,” he said.

Enevoldsen said that by keeping to their principles, it allows them to make decisions based on their customers rather than looking at a piece of paper.

“We don’t go to an outside loan facility to make decisions on loans,” he said,” We do that here. It is based on our customer, not their numbers.”

In 2007 the bank put a drive-up ATM machine in Dix. A community that Enevoldsen said is a sister community to Potter.

Coming in 2009, the bank will launch their internet banking. Despite the new technology or the swaying of the economy, Enevoldsen and his brothers, Hal and Jett, know that as long as they stay true to their family values then the bank will be there to serve their community.

“We appreciate our heritage and are thankful for what the past members of this bank have done,” he said, “We are trying to carry on those traditions.”