Celebrating 140 Years Of Legacy | The Central National Bank Story
By KIM GRONNIGER | Photos by JOHN BURNS
Central National Bank (CNB), one of the state’s largest financial institutions and a family institution, will celebrate its 140th anniversary in October.
Sara Girard is CNB’s chief executive officer and president. She and her brother Mike Munson, the bank’s executive vice president and general counsel, work with other members of their family at the Topeka branch located at 800 SE Quincy St.
Girard joined the CNB team in 2005 and Munson joined in 2017. Neither of them felt pressured to follow the same career path as their relatives, and said that they were welcomed to contribute to the family’s legacy.
They now work only a few blocks from the Frank Carlson Federal Building,which was named after their great-grandfather — a former Kansas governor, United States senator and CNB director. Munson uses the same desk his great-grandfather used when he served in Washington, D.C.
Their father, Robert Munson, devoted his distinguished 45-year career to CNB as well.
“Dad used to tell us when the going gets tough, the tough get going,” said Munson. “When things aren’t going exactly as we had planned or when things get tough, we can look up at the framed Theodore Roosevelt speech ‘The Man in the Arena’ that Dad gave each of us for our offices. It reminds us to buckle down, get to work and continue trying to do the best possible.”
Other third-generation employees at CNB include former Kansas State Representative and current Chairman of the Board Edward “E.C.” Rolfs, board member and Senior Vice President Tom Rolfs and board members Christine Rolfs Munson, Jim Waters and Clarence Waters. Fourth-generation employees, in addition to Girard and Munson, include Brett Rolfs, who is a records manager, disaster recovery officer and board member, and his wife Amanda Rolfs, the director of marketing.
CNB’s other Topeka leaders include Topeka Branch President Steven Newell and Executive Vice President David Brant.
AN EVOLVING INDUSTRY
The Rolfs family has been overseeing CNB since 1884. In that time, they’ve grown $1.3 billion in assets and changed how the bank operates.
Those changes include installing an air conditioning unit to replace the large block of ice that was cooling their lobby, and evolving from room-size supercomputers to modern-day desktop computers and laptops. After Girard joined, she added casual Fridays for bank employees.
The bank has weathered everything from pandemics to economic upheavals. When new banking legislation was passed in 1980, they were able to open a holding company, which they use to acquire other banking institutions.
“Our family business works because we all respect the long legacy of conservatism and perseverance,” said Girard. “My great-grandfather managed the bank during the Great Depression, and under his leadership Central National Bank was the only one in Geary County allowed to reopen after the federally mandated bank holiday. My grandfather survived the farm crisis and led a bold expansion strategy that positioned our bank to serve the many communities we do today. Then my uncle [E.C. Rolfs] managed the bank through the mortgage crisis and the Great Recession.”
During Girard’s first bank role as marketing officer, she worked with local broadcasting network WIBW, Dan Lindquist and Jim Edmonston to create CNB’s “Money for Life” jingle and tagline. It was the bank’s first step in creating a brand strategy.
Robert Munson predicted the future of banking when he wrote about the advent of ATMs, direct deposits, automatic bill payments and home banking in a 1984 centennial celebration booklet:
“It appears that the trend toward greater levels of bank automation will continue in the future. Automated teller machines will continue to increase in popularity. Point of sale devices accessed via the same card used with the ATMs will appear in stores, restaurants, and gas stations; these will offer convenience to the customer and guaranteed funds to the business itself. Direct deposit of payroll and government payments will be standard, as will automatic bill payment. And ultimately ‘home banking’ will arrive, where customers can perform banking transactions from their home via an inexpensive device tied into their telephone.”
To this day, the team at CNB seeks new ways to improve their operations and customer interactions. “We pride ourselves on being a large Kansas bank that can service the financial needs of almost anyone but still have the feel of a community bank,” said Girard.
Munson agreed. “We may experience growing pains as we centralize certain operations, but we never want to lose that personal feel,” said Munson.
FAMILY AFFAIR
With so many family members working to oversee branches in 22 towns across Kansas and Nebraska, Girard said they’re happy to work together when they need to overcome an issue or disagreement.
“We have the right people in place and feel good about the team’s adaptability,” said Girard. “We recognize one another’s skill sets and have absolute faith and trust in what each person does.”
“Having a business with multiple generations is advantageous in lots of ways, and appealing to many of our customers who also run family businesses, because they understand that we have similar dynamics,” said E.C. Rolfs. “If you work for a Fortune 500 company, you can fire someone who makes a mistake or that you disagree with, but if you want to have a pleasant Thanksgiving, you have to be more willing to work through things with a family business.”
Girard, who in 2017 became CNB’s first president in more than 100 years whose name is not Edward Rolfs, said her grandfather E.J. Rolfs had an entrepreneurial spirit. “He took charge to help the bank grow,” said Girard. “He often asked employees, ‘If you’re a racehorse, how will you run the race?’ He wanted everyone to be invested in what was happening.”
“My dad spoke in riddles,” said E.C. Rolfs. “It was not uncommon for us to have a two-hour discussion with our dad and then huddle up afterward to figure out whether we’d been yelled at or praised.”
Girard described her family mentors as “great models of intelligence, diligence, hard work, wise decision-making and high integrity.”
Girard, a former Kansas State University basketball player, recalled a time during high school when she thought she’d broken a record by scoring 37 points in a single game. The new record earned her praise and an interview with a local radio reporter. But the next morning at breakfast, her father informed her that he’d been tracking her shots during the game and she had not set a new record. Girard had only scored 35 points, not 37.
“He told me he was calling the school to set things straight and that this lesson in integrity would be more important to me than any school record or any embarrassment I might feel, and he was right,” said Girard.
“One of our dad’s favorite sayings was ‘do the right thing,’” said Munson. “That’s how we approach customer relationships. We want to know what their goals are, whether it’s starting a new business, buying property, opening an investment account, growing net worth or opening a savings account for their children. Our goal is to find common sense solutions.”
Ninety-two of the bank’s 280 employees have been with the company for at least 15 years. Girard said that’s because the culture at CNB promotes work-life balance, offers paid volunteer days and values clear communication. They use in-person meetings and a weekly newsletter, written by Girard, to keep their employees informed.
“We’re all members of the Central National Bank family,” she said. “We talk about our goals and performance and celebrate and acknowledge each other. Our bank would not be where it is today without them.”
COMMUNITY FOCUS
Giving back to the communities where CNB does business is important to Girard. She said the bank’s charitable foundation, Central Charities, has contributed to nonprofits for more than 30 years.
After Munson moved to Topeka in 2006 and Girard arrived in 2012, they were quick to join efforts that would help the local community. Girard serves on the boards for the Auburn-Washburn Foundation, GO Topeka and Junior Achievement. She is also active in the Kansas Bankers Association and serves on the American Bankers Association Membership Council.
Munson is a founding member of the 20/30 Club Foundation, vice chairman and former chairman of the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority and a former board president of TARC.
SIBLING SYNERGY
Before joining the bank, Girard worked as a financial analyst at Hallmark Cards. Munson had a private practice representing the interests of financial institutions. Like his grandfather and uncles, he’s also a licensed pilot. This has given the perk of faster travel to CNB.
“I typically don’t mention that our corporate jet is a cramped Cessna or that our corporate pilot is my younger brother,” said Girard.
“Joining the family business made sense and having the ability to work with Sara was icing on the cake,” said Munson. “I’ve always looked up to her. She brings a tremendous amount of energy and a sense of excitement to the bank and strives to create a fun and positive place for employees.”
Munson and Girard’s shared love of childhood jokes has grown to include more sophisticated pranks, especially on April Fools’ Day. “Work should be fun,” said Munson. “We like to laugh. We can be serious one minute and then laugh about something our kids did at home the next.”
The siblings see each other every morning when they drop off their kids at school. They always look forward to their annual spring ski trip and family business meeting in Steamboat Springs, Colorado — a Rolfs family tradition that their mother started in 1986.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Girard and Munson are planning an event to celebrate CNB’s 140th anniversary in October. Girard said that even as the bank grows, their focus is on community banking.
“Despite today’s technology, banking is and always will be a people business,” she said. “I don’t run our bank myself and never will. It’s a team lift and I lucked out with the team I get to work with each day.”
