By: Kathleen Donnelly, Executive Vice President, Managing Director
I joined First Community Trust (FCT) one month into FCT opening its doors. In many ways, those same doors were opened for me as a professional. We have grown together by helping positively impact clients’ financial lives throughout their successful careers and into happy, fulfilling retirements. Utilizing our expertise as executors and trustees, we have guided clients through estate plans and generational wealth transfer, all while witnessing the lasting legacies they have created for their heirs and the charities they support. Through it all, FCT’s core value — placing our focus first and foremost on our clients — has not wavered.
A key part of FCT’s growth over the past 25 years has been our longstanding partnership with credit unions. These relationships have been integral to FCT’s story from the very start and have allowed members to access trust and investment services within the financial institutions they already know and trust. In my role, I serve the greater community while also having the privilege of serving Collins Community Credit Union members, a connection I value as I help individuals and families navigate important financial decisions.
As I reflect on 25 years, I am especially proud of our in-house investment management and advisory team model. We know our clients! FCT believes wealth management is personal, and we are dedicated to providing the best client experience possible. What is most exciting is how we continue to transform to meet clients where they are — and where they want to be. Through holistic financial planning and the introduction of new services, we consistently provide solutions that help clients reach their goals.
I still remember my first day, with only a No. 2 pencil and dial-up internet (wait, I’m not that old…), and smartphones still years away, it’s incredible to see how much has changed. Today, we live in a world of AI and instant information. Yet our FCT values remain the same, and I believe they matter even more now: trust, integrity, and honesty. We answer our own phones when you call, and our willingness to get things done for our clients matters to us. We care.
My father once told me that when you enter the workforce, “all you have is your reputation.” Take care of it. Work for a company you are proud of and whose values align with your own. I have been fortunate to experience this with FCT through its management, my coworkers, and the wonderful individuals and families we are privileged to serve. I am looking forward to the next 25 years and all that FCT is becoming as we continue to guide our clients forward. (Oh … and I’m glad I don’t need to sharpen pencils anymore!)