News & Events

First Federal Community Bank Earns Designation as a Great Place to Work-Certified™ Company for Fourth Consecutive Year

First Federal Community Bank announced that it is again Great Place to Work-Certified™ for 2023. This is the fourth consecutive year the bank has earned this prestigious certification.  Certification is a significant achievement that uses validated employee feedback gathered with Great Place to Work’s rigorous, data driven For All™ methodology. Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience and the leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue and increased innovation.

“We are again thrilled to be Great Place to Work-Certified™,” says Trent Troyer, President & CEO. “We really value our people and live by values that include Integrity, Service, Collaboration, and Accountability.  Our people have reported a consistently positive experience with their coworkers, their leaders, and with their jobs. This is important to us because we know that when our employees have a high-trust experience every day they are more productive, drive better business results and make a difference to our customers.”

“Great Place to Work Certification™ isn’t something that comes easily – it takes ongoing dedication to the employee experience,” said Sarah Lewis-Kulin, vice president of global recognition at Great Place to Work. “It’s the only official recognition determined by employees’ real-time reports of their company culture. Earning this designation means that First Federal Community Bank is one of the best companies to work for in the country.”

According to Great Place to Work research, job seekers are 4.5 times more likely to find a great boss at a Certified great workplace. Additionally, employees at Certified workplaces are 93% more likely to look forward to coming to work, and are twice as likely to be paid fairly, earn a fair share of the company’s profits and have a fair chance at promotion.

Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, they have surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Their employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything they do is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a great place to work For All™.

First Federal Community Bank, a subsidiary of FFD Financial Corporation, presently has eight offices in Dover, New Philadelphia, Uhrichsville, Sugarcreek, Mt. Hope and Berlin. Information is also available on the company’s web site at firstfed.com.  The company is based in Dover, Ohio and is traded on the OTC Market under the symbol FFDF.

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FIRST FEDERAL COMMUNITY BANK ADDS MICHAEL MILLER TO HOLMES COUNTY LENDING TEAM

First Federal Community Bank is proud to announce the addition of Michael Miller to its Commercial Lending Team serving the Holmes County market.

Michael comes to First Federal from PNC Bank in Millersburg, where he most recently served as branch manager. He is a graduate of Hiland High School and The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business. Michael resides in Millersburg and volunteers with the Berlin Mennonite Service Project, the Phoenix Food Pantry, and coaches elementary school basketball. He will be based out of First Federal’s Berlin Financial Center.

The First Federal Community Bank Commercial Lending Team consistently provides record production coupled with commitment to exceptional service, integrity, collaboration, and accountability, placing near the top of all market share in both Tuscarawas and Holmes Counties.

“Michael’s deep Holmes County roots and passion for serving the community make him an excellent fit for our organization and an asset to our local businesses.  We are excited about him joining our commercial lending team,” stated Matthew Miller, Sr. Vice President and Chief Lending Officer.        

First Federal Community Bank, a subsidiary of FFD Financial Corporation, presently has eight offices in Dover, New Philadelphia, Uhrichsville, Sugarcreek, Mt. Hope and Berlin. The bank is Great Place To Work certified and consistently achieves the highest rating of strength and safety by Bauer Financial. Information is also available on the company’s web site at firstfed.com. The company is based in Dover, Ohio and is traded on the OTC Market under the symbol FFDF.

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FIRST FEDERAL COMMNUNITY BANK ANNOUNCES PROMOTION OF CATHIE MCCULLOCH TO FINANCIAL CENTER MANAGER

First Federal Community Bank is announcing the recent promotion of Cathie McCulloch to Financial Center Manager at its Boulevard location at 902 Boulevard in Dover.

Cathie joined First Federal in 2012 as a teller and with her attention to detail and excellent customer service, was promoted to Financial Service Representative in September 2021. She is a graduate of New Philadelphia High School and resides in New Philadelphia with her husband Rob and children Zoey and Zayn.

“I look forward to leading our dedicated Boulevard team as we serve our customers,” says Cathie. “I am also excited to be active with local organizations to make a difference in our local communities.”

Tiffany Kail, Vice President of Retail Banking and Branch Administration stated, “First Federal’s mission is to empower the financial well-being of our community, one person at a time, and I am confident that Cathie will continue to serve our customers with excellence and integrity to reach that mission. I am excited to work with her in her new role.”

First Federal Community Bank, a subsidiary of FFD Financial Corporation, presently has eight offices in Dover, New Philadelphia, Uhrichsville, Sugarcreek, Mt. Hope and Berlin. The bank is Great Place To Work certified and consistently achieves the highest rating of strength and safety by Bauer Financial. Information is also available on the company’s web site at firstfed.com. The company is based in Dover, Ohio and is traded on the OTC Market under the symbol FFDF.

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FIRST FEDERAL IS GREAT PLACE TO WORK CERTIFIED FOR THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR

First Federal Community Bank announced that it is again Great Place to Work-Certified™ for 2022. This is the third year the bank has earned this prestigious certification.  Certification is a significant achievement that uses validated employee feedback gathered with Great Place to Work’s rigorous, data driven For All™ methodology. Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience and the leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue and increased innovation.

“We are again thrilled to be Great Place to Work-Certified™,” says Trent Troyer, President & CEO. “We really value our people and live by values that include Integrity, Service, Collaboration, and Accountability.  Our people have reported a consistently positive experience with their coworkers, their leaders, and with their jobs. This is important to us because we know that when our employees have a high-trust experience every day they are more productive, drive better business results and make a difference to our customers.”

“Great Place to Work Certification™ isn’t something that comes easily – it takes ongoing dedication to the employee experience,” said Sarah Lewis-Kulin, vice president of global recognition at Great Place to Work. “It’s the only official recognition determined by employees’ real-time reports of their company culture. Earning this designation means that First Federal Community Bank is one of the best companies to work for in the country.”

Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, they have surveyed more than 100 million employees around the world and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Great Place to Work helps organizations quantify their culture and produce better business results by creating a high-trust work experience for all employees. Emprising®, their culture management platform, empowers leaders with the surveys, real-time reporting, and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Their unparalleled benchmark data is used to recognize Great Place to Work-Certified™ companies and the Best Workplaces™ in the US and more than 60 countries, including the 100 Best Companies to Work For® and World’s Best list published annually in Fortune. Everything they do is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a Great Place to Work For All™. Learn more at greatplacetowork.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

First Federal Community Bank, a subsidiary of FFD Financial Corporation, presently has eight offices in Dover, New Philadelphia, Uhrichsville, Sugarcreek, Mt. Hope and Berlin. Information is also available on the company’s web site at firstfed.com.  The company is based in Dover, Ohio and is traded on the OTC Market under the symbol FFDF.

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FIRST FEDERAL COMMUNITY BANK ANNOUNCES OFFICER PROMOTIONS

First Federal Community Bank announces the promotion of Scott Heil and Matthew Stein to Vice President and the election of Kenny Miller, Laurie Russell, and Sharon Troyer  to Banking Officer. 

Scott Heil has been with First Federal for 8 years, serving as a commercial loan officer.  Scott is responsible for working with business and investment real estate clients in Tuscarawas County.  A graduate of Tuscarawas Central Catholic High School, Wittenberg University and Ashland University for his MBA, he is also a graduate of Leadership Tuscarawas.  He serves the community through his membership in Dover Rotary and is presently the Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Tuscarawas County YMCA.  Scott resides in New Philadelphia with his wife Kara and their three children, Adelyn, Matilda, and Thomas.

Matt Stein has been with First Federal for 8 years, serving as a commercial loan officer. Matt is a graduate of Garaway High School and the Holmes County Leadership Program.  He serves the community through Grace Church located in Berlin, OH. as well as leads a life group that volunteers in the Sugarcreek/Berlin area.  Matt has represented the bank at both Buckeye Career Center and Garaway High School speaking to students about banking, lending, and careers.  He is also involved with the Garaway Football Skull & Cross Bones program where he meets with and encourages a senior on the football team.  Matt resides with his wife Jess and their two children, Blakely & Quinn in Sugarcreek.

Kenny Miller has been with First Federal for 4 years serving as a commercial loan officer in Berlin and Mt. Hope. He is a graduate of Hiland High School and Ashland University and is involved in the community through Grace Church and serves as the treasurer for East Holmes Little League Baseball.  Kenny resides in Berlin with his wife Codee and children, Maclin and Everly.

Laurie Russell has been with First Federal for 6 years, serving as a Commercial Loan Credit Analyst before being promoted to Accounting Manager three years ago.  Her background includes public accounting, financial analysis, and a second-generation family business.  Laurie is responsible for overseeing the accounting department which handles many back-office functions for the bank including wire processing, ACH processing, management reports, and governmental reporting.  She is a graduate of New Philadelphia High School, Kent State University Tuscarawas, and Malone College.  She is also a 2018 graduate of Leadership Tuscarawas.  She participates in various community events which have included Salvation Army bell ringing and volunteering for school events.  Laurie resides in New Philadelphia with her husband Earl and their two children.

Sharon Troyer has been in banking for 8 years and serves as the financial center manager in the Mt. Hope Office.  Sharon’s tenure with First Federal has been the past 4 years when the bank acquired the banking center she was managing in Mt. Hope. She schooled at Mt. Hope Elementary and received her GED through the Buckeye Career Center in New Philadelphia. Sharon has previously served as a teller and teller supervisor. She serves the community through the Mt. Hope Merchants and other activities as she is called upon.  Sharon resides on the family farm with her sister and parents in the Mt. Hope, Fredericksburg area.

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WELCOME KALEIGH TRACY AS THE SUGARCREEK FINANCIAL CENTER MANAGER

Please join us in welcoming, Kaleigh Tracy to the First Federal Team! Kaleigh will serve as the Financial Center Manager of our Sugarcreek office currently located at 1047 W. Main Street; Suite C.

Kaleigh comes to us with 10 years of banking experience with five in a leadership role. She graduated from Dover High School and Kent State University and resides in Dover with her husband, Chris, and their two children, Carter and Peyton. In her free time, Kaleigh enjoys reading and spending time with her family. She and her husband enjoy travelling and attending concerts, their most recent being Eric Church.

“I am excited to join the First Federal team and be able to give back to my community! It’s exciting to know that what I, and my fellow colleagues do, will impact those that live in the area that I’m from and still reside in” states Tracy. Kaleigh is also excited about the new First Federal Sugarcreek Financial Center, scheduled to open later this year at 1115 SW Cherry Ridge Drive. “I can’t wait to see how the addition of the new building will help us grow and give back even more,” stated Tracy.

Tiffany Kail, VP of Retail Banking stated “First Federal’s mission is to empower the financial well-being of our communities, one person at a time. Kaleigh will ensure we reach that mission in Sugarcreek and I am excited to work with her in her new role. I am also excited about how the new Financial Center will provide opportunities for growth as we continue to meet our customers’ needs.”  First Federal Community Bank will host a Groundbreaking Ceremony at the new site, June 14^th at 8:45 a.m.

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PROMOTIONS ANNOUNCED FOR FINNELL, STEALEY AND WESTERN

We are proud to announce the promotion of Scott Finnell, Erick Stealey and Danielle Western.  Scott Finnell has been a banker for 30 years and served as First Federal’s Executive Vice President for the past 20 years as both the Chief Credit Officer and Senior Commercial Lending Officer.  During his tenure, the bank grew its commercial lending portfolio from $36 Million to $372 Million and its commercial lending team from 2 lenders to 6 lenders.  He also grew the Credit Department from one analyst to 4 analysts. Based upon the bank’s growth, it is typical at certain asset sizes to split these roles.  Scott was promoted to Executive Vice President & Chief Credit Officer to head up the expanded credit department and to ensure that the extraordinary credit culture he built continues forward with the bank’s planned growth. “Scott has exceptional credit talent which is evident in our outstanding credit statistics,” said Trent Troyer, President & CEO. “He has been and will continue to be a strategic partner in the bank’s growth going forward, and I am certain he will continue to excel in this new role.”  Scott and his wife Amy reside in Dover, OH.  They have three adult children Josie, Emily, and David. He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Mount Union College and his MBA from Ashland University.  He currently serves on the Dover City Schools Education Foundation, City of Dover Architectural Review Committee, Board of Directors of the Rainbow Connection, Business Park Incubator, and is a Member of Dover-New Phila Kiwanis Club and Dover Tornado Club.

Erick Stealey was promoted to Senior Credit Analyst, Loan Process Administrator.  Erick is a 2003 Dover Graduate.  He and his wife (Catlin) and 3 children (Ellie, Ryder, and Theodore) reside in Canton, Ohio. Erick continued his education first at Stark State College and then at Franklin University where he completed a double Bachelor’s in Accounting and Marketing in 2009. He worked at Huntington National Bank in New Philadelphia prior to coming to First Federal in 2010. He first served as the Head Teller for our Boulevard location, and then moved to the Loan Department as a Credit Analyst soon after coming aboard. Along with his responsibilities of being a Credit Analyst, he also maintains and creates various management and tracking reports. He also is a 2014 Graduate of Leadership Tuscarawas. Erick enjoys going boating on Lake Erie and taking his family to baseball games, as he is a Cleveland Indians enthusiast as well as a season ticket holder for the Akron RubberDucks. Erick is an avid bowler and has recorded several 300 games.  Scott Finnell noted, “Erick’s knowledge of credit and technical skills have been invaluable to us as we closely monitor the loan portfolio and continue to meet ever changing and expanding loan review requirements.”

Danielle Western was promoted to Senior Credit Analyst, Credit Process Coordinator.  She began her career with First Federal in March of 2016 as a teller at the Berlin Banking Center. “Danielle has excelled as an analyst in the Credit Department since 2017,” said Finnell.  “Her ability to multitask and produce accurate results have been an incredible benefit to our lenders and entire credit review function.” Danielle graduated from New Philadelphia High School in 2010 and furthered her education and basketball career at Notre Dame College where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management and Marketing in 2014. Danielle has been married to her husband Robert since October 2014. She is an extremely proud mom to their son, Deacon, who turned 4 in August. Danielle also has a dog, Heisman, and a cat, Mayfield, who are big parts of the family. Danielle holds an OHSAA Girls Basketball State Record for “Most Consecutive Free Throws Made” with 54.

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MATT MILLER IS PROMOTED AND MATT KINSEY JOINS THE COMMERCIAL LENDING TEAM

We are proud to announce the promotion of Matt Miller to Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer. Matt’s banking career began in 2004.  He joined the First Federal team as a Commercial Loan Officer in 2009.   During that time, Matt has served as a strong advocate for businesses in our Holmes county market.  He is a graduate of Hiland High School and the College of Wooster. In 2014, Matt graduated from the Ohio Banker’s League “Bank Leadership Institute”. Matt and his wife Jen and their three children reside in Baltic, OH.  He will continue to manage his current customer portfolio while assuming leadership of the Commercial Lending Team which consists of; Kris Kreinbihl, Scott Heil, Matt Stein, Kenny Miller and the newest addition, Matt Kinsey. Matt Miller will be relocating to The First Federal Community Bank Operations & Financial Education Center on Ohio Avenue, Dover, OH upon completion late summer, 2021. 

In addition to having another record loan production year,our Commercial Lending Team provided over $60 Million in SBA PPP funding to 600 local businesses this past year. This accomplishment coupled with our passionate commitment to exceptional service has placed us near the top of all market share in both Tuscarawas and Holmes counties. “Our Commercial Team has had a strong year, and I am confident Matt Miller will continue to provide leadership, strength and direction,” said Trent Troyer, President & CEO. 

We are pleased to announce the addition of Matt Kinsey to our team as well.  He comes to us with more than 16 years’ experience writing commercial property and casualty insurance while employed at Pipes Insurance, New Philadelphia, OH.  “Matt’s extensive experience calling on, servicing, and interacting with business owners in our community provides Matt with an excellent set of skills to begin his banking career,” said Matt Miller. “Matt Kinsey joined our commercial team, April 5, 2021 and will be focused on developing relationships in Tuscarawas and surrounding counties.”

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