Providence Bank and Trust building
Providence Bank & Trust (PB&T) was formed in 2004 as a de novo community bank in South Holland, IL, with 15 employees. As initiated by its founding members, the Bank’s ongoing mission-focused approach has consistently been a commitment to community service and stewardship, offering meaningful financial products and services – both personal and commercial, as well as, empowering our communities.
PB&T is so sincerely committed to the neighborhoods it serves, that they incorporated the Providence Bank & Trust Stewardship Program into their corporate principles when the Bank was founded – promising that ten percent of the Bank’s profits would be donated to local civic, nonprofit and Christian organizations. To date, over 9.3 million dollars has been donated, substantially impacting the ability for these vital community organizations to deliver their services to the people of these neighborhoods.
The growth of the organization, over the years, has occurred organically and through strategic opportunities and smart acquisitions with a diligent community focus. A notable step in Providence’s success came in July of 2014 with the strategic whole bank purchase of GreenChoice Bank. Uniquely, GreenChoice Bank was focused on supporting the local community and fostering green initiatives.
Similarly, a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Urban Partnership Bank (UPB) was entered into in late August 2018. This like the earlier GreenChoice acquisition came with a storied history and a unique marketplace position. In 2010 UPB was formed to carry on the work of Shore Bank, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) serving low and moderate income communities. This institution held deep roots in the Chicago market and was the genesis of many organizations and programs focused on this mission.
PB&T continues to build on the investment of these and other acquisitions, notably with a focus on the Urban Partnership/Shore Bank agreement and expanding the impactful work of serving the underserved and providing for neighborhood revitalization. In doing so, through the formation of the Providence Stewardship Foundation, PB&T extends low cost, community development loans, known as our Community Stewardship Loan, to stimulate positive change among small businesses and nonprofit organizations in low to moderate income communities of the Chicagoland area and Northwest Indiana. In addition, PB&T established the BankOn certified account, Neighborhood Connect Banking, to assist the underserved and underbanked in taking control, rebuilding and managing an affordable banking relationship.
To that end, today, through our mission-based focus, our #stewardstrong initiatives, and our collective acquisitions, we are not only the bank with an authentic stewardship program but also the bank with a unique, nurturing and impactful relationship with our customers and the communities we serve. And, we are furthermore the values-based choice for banking services where funds are responsibly invested back into the community and community based organizations, creating greater impact and long-term success for all.
Impact can be measured many ways, but however you look at it,
the positive impact that can be made can only get stronger when we come together.
– Steve Van Drunen,
President & Chief Executive Officer
For a timeline of our Proud Milestones over the years, click here.
To learn more about Providence as a community bank and view our impact, click here.
Peter H. (PJ) Huizenga, Jr. – Chairman of the Board
Terry L. Van Der Aa – Chairman Emeritus
Steven G. Van Drunen – President and CEO
David A. DeGroot – Chief Financial Officer
Douglas A. DeGroot – Executive VP and Trust Officer
Kevin L. Botma
Louis Dodd
William Gleason
James Lanting
Tenay Mazumdar
Eugene C. Varnado
Clair J. Johnson – Secretary
David A. DeGroot – Chief Financial Officer
Douglas A. DeGroot – Executive VP & Trust Officer
Clair J. Johnson – Executive Vice President
Kimberly Lesniak – Senior VP – Credit Administration
Michele Madia-Bradley – Chief Operating Officer
Wayne J. Postma – Executive VP & Senior Lender
Steven G. Van Drunen – President & CEO
Diversity and inclusion is a business imperative and a strength for our bank. It is part of who we are and everything we do, from recruiting and engaging our employees to selecting vendors and reaching out to our customers. We proactively seek diverse suppliers through our Vendor Diversity program. We do everything we can to ensure that businesses managed by a minority or woman are afforded equal opportunity to participate in our procurement processes. To qualify for our Vendor Diversity program a business must be at least 51% owned, controlled, and managed by a minority or woman. We encourage prospective suppliers to contact our Vendor Diversity Officer for more information.
