Aug 12, 2021 4 min read

It’s not known whether someone left the cake out in the rain, but Wednesday’s late-morning celebration of Community Bank’s milestone birthday was all sunshine and sunny dispositions.

“Community Bank has survived two World Wars, the Depression, recessions …” marveled John Montgomery, president and chief executive officer of the institution, which is now fending off a second global pandemic in a century.

“A lot of triumphs and tragedies have occurred that closed many other banks. But not only has Community Bank survived, it has excelled.”

Almost one year to the day he was introduced as the bank’s new leader, Montgomery addressed an audience of 100-plus who toasted the endurance, resilience and success of this 120-year-old financial institution. They convened outdoors, near the Barron “Pat” McCune Corporate Center in North Franklin Township, where the rain held off for another two hours.

The get-together occurred six weeks after Community Bank’s actual natal anniversary. It launched on July 1, 1901, in Carmichaels, where the bank and CB Financial Services Inc., its holding company, are registered – and where their main corporate offices are based.

CB Financial also has that corporate location in North Franklin, and has a presence in West Virginia and Ohio.

Holding court on the side of the center nearest to Angelo’s restaurant, Montgomery elaborated on the “secret sauce” that has served his bank well. He talked about connecting with clients and the community – “It’s real and it’s important”; about serving “all of our stakeholders.”

“But the really important part of the secret sauce,” he said earnestly, “is our employees, the people who work day in and day out. Their working together is what keeps us going.”

Underscoring the importance of teamwork, Montgomery cited an old African proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

In that vein, Montgomery and Andrew Corfont, senior vice president of marketing, honored 10 employees with 35-plus years of service. The longest tenured among them was Susan Reinbeau, a CB employee for 50 years.

CB Financial also made donations totaling $50,000 to City Mission; Claysville Area Preservation and Revitalization Initiative; Flenniken Library; and United Way chapters in Greene County, Washington County, Mon Valley and Ohio Valley.

The bank also announced it has relaunched its Community Bank Cares program. When a client opens a loan of $25,000 or more, CB donates $120 to a nonprofit of that individual’s choice.

Although he has resided and worked mostly in eastern Pennsylvania, and was introduced locally only last Aug. 14, Montgomery takes pride in Community Bank’s stature. He praised McCune, his predecessor in both jobs, for his counsel while serving as executive consultant to the company during the transition.

McCune, a Washington native and longtime executive at Community Bank, was unable to attend the ceremony.

“Community Bank wants to continue its legacy for the next 120 years,” Montgomery said. “The economy and banking have fundamentally changed, which includes mobile and online services. Technology has leveled the playing field.”

Although the company, like many other banking institutions, has reduced its number of branch locations, Montgomery said the company is not abandoning them.

“Branches have come down significantly,” he said, “but that doesn’t mean brick-and-mortar are not important. We have to have a balance with our other products.

CB Financial, a publicly traded company, has outlasted many of its competitors- and in recent years has acquired some of them. It absorbed Monessen-based First Federal Savings Bank in April 2014, then four years later closed a deal with Progressive Bank, NA, of Wheeling, W.Va.

It is positioned for the future, and the bank’s top official said he is dedicated to investing in that.

“Our commitment is unwavering,” Montgomery said.