Amelis Long: Welcome to The Vault! We're launching a new podcast here today. My name is Amelis Long. I'm the Director of Employee Programming and Belonging here at FNBO.  And I'm so excited to be a part of this podcast. 

And welcome, my very first guest. But also, kind of the brainchild behind this project, Regina DeMars, Director of Content Marketing and Social Media, AKA. storyteller of FNBO. Welcome! So glad you're here! 

Regina Demars: Thanks, Amelis, I’m excited to be here. I feel like we've been unlocking this idea for a long time. So, excited that it's now going to be open for everyone. 

Amelis Long: Okay, see what you did there. We're going to be a very punny podcast, I think. So, um, let's talk about The Vault and how we got here. Like you said, this is not, not something particularly new, but it's refreshed and evolved and, bigger. So, tell me a little bit about how we got to this great studio today. 

Regina DeMars: Yeah. We've had our FNBO Cashology podcast for five years and banking on KC podcast, and both did a great job of storytelling, but we really thought that it was time to evolve it. We wanted to talk about broader topics. And think that, you know, it's just, The Vault is a way to tell all of those stories across to our markets.

So, while Banking on KC really focused on the heartbeat of one community and Cashology shared financial advice and guidance, it was all great content, but we felt like we could bring it under one umbrella called The Vault. And if you think about, what a vault does - iIt keeps things valuable, secure for you, and we want to bring those valuable stories to life across all of our markets. 

Amelis Long: Yeah. I love that metaphor, and I just have to say, longtime fan, first time host. So, I'm really excited to be just part of bringing these stories to life and really getting a little deeper into The Vault and unlocking some of those really special stories here at FNBO. 

Now let's talk a little bit about storytelling, right? So, um, we've had an opportunity to work on a lot of projects together. And something that I've, so really, really carried with me that you've, you've said often as we've, kick off some of those projects is the power of storytelling, right? And really emphasizing, uh, what a what a gift it is to tell a story. So, can you tell me a little bit more about the power of storytelling and why it's such an important tool for the work that you do and for the bank? 

Regina DeMars: Of course. Yeah, we do a lot of storytelling. So, we have our blog on fnbo.com. We bring to life stories on our FNBO channels, and we know that, you know, banking sometimes topics can be a little boring, maybe or just more difficult. 

So, we always want to make sure that we are adding value for our customers. We're making it engaging and relatable, and there's just so many stories that we can tell across our markets. Just, you know, you think about people that come into the bank. They may have had a passion for years and they're looking to bring  that to life and opening up a small business so more people can share in their passion or a farmer who's looking to get a loan to expand their business for generations to come, or even just somebody going into a branch and getting a mortgage so they can buy their first home for their family. 

Those are not about the transactions. It's about the emotional connection. Every financial decision that you make has an emotional tie to it. So, I think we learned from the Cashology podcast that people are really yearning for authentic stories to be told. And so with The Vault, we're really hoping to bring those to life and just expand and include like banking trends or innovation, community impact stories, um, under, you know, a new name, The Vault. 

Amelis Long: Yeah, I love that. I know just when I have the opportunity to speak with customers, or even our employees, like the stuff that really stays with you and the stuff that you remember are those stories, right? It's not the size of the deal or the amount of the loan. It’s it was my first home, right? Or it's my dream business. It's my dream coming true. I think that's so exciting to be able to bring that into a much larger format. So, I think it's something that our audience is really going to connect with. 

So, we're launching The Vault with this kind of preview episode here, a little teaser. Um, but we've got some exciting things planned coming up. So, let's give our audience a little bit deeper of a teaser into 2026. 

Regina DeMars: We have multiple guests across the bank, so excited that so many people are really thrilled about bringing this to life and, several people that we've talked to are interested in being both hosts and guests. 

So, what people can see is leaders at FNBO interviewing other leaders across our markets. You're going to hear from people who are really in the trenches on identifying trends that are important for people. Whether it's, you know, how should I invest in 2026 and what are the trends that they're seeing across their different markets, as well as innovation and FNBO is, you know, really impactful in our markets. And, we do a lot from a philanthropic perspective. helping bring those to life. 

So, you're going to see some nonprofit leaders. Our card partnership, some leaders there. Hopefully, we'll also have some people on who can talk about our sponsorships. And just really broadening the topic. Um, we thought it was really important, and we're excited that, we've evolved from audio only, and this podcast will be video format, so people will be able to watch our social media channels and see clips of different content and maybe some fun kind of behind-the-scenes moments. 

And, we're also planning on launching two episodes a month. And, I want to make sure to give a plug for our next one. David Coda will be on talking about our birthday. We celebrate our 168th birthday on December 10th. And it's going to be really fun to hear kind of the history of FNBO and how our legacy really continues to shape who we are today. 

Amelis Long: We've got a lot coming up in in 2026. I mean, maybe I should actually frame it as we've got a lot coming up in our 168th year, big year for us. And I just love how intentional you are about planning the storytelling, right? To have so many different people who are going to be able to sit in these green chairs and tell these stories and the types of stories you're going to tell, and even just that you're doing video and audio and really being able to connect with people in so many different ways. It's just a really exciting time. 

But as I think about like, the intentionality of that format. Tell me a little bit about like, what do you want our people to get from this experience? Like what's the big takeaway for everybody? 

Regina DeMars: I hope that people see themselves in our stories. So, whether you're a customer, an employee or community partner, I hope when you hear the stories or see different clips on our social media channels that it connects more to FNBO's purpose overall. 

I want to make sure that people know that banking isn't just about money, there's meaning there, and we saw with Cashology, people really love those type of stories.  And I'm excited with The Vault that we can focus on bringing more impactful stories that are meaningful. I want people to want to tune in, um, you know, every month to listen to our podcast because it will be very valuable to our listeners. 

Amelis Long: Regina, I love, I love that so much. You said, earlier, something like, the vault is where you keep your most, most valuable treasures, right? And so to think about it and that context of this is where our most powerful, our most precious stories are going to be told. I think it's just such an exciting time for our audience and for all our guests and hosts that are coming up soon. So, thank you so much for being here kind of keying off the storytelling and then just for leading the charge. Like it's a really important role here at FNBO, and we really appreciate everything that you do. So, thank you. 

And for our listeners and hopefully future fans of this podcast, we want them to like and subscribe, right? 

Wherever you listen to your podcast, as well as follow FNBO on all our social platforms. And we will see ya Next time. 

Shall we shut the door in the vault for now? 

Regina DeMars: Sounds good. Thanks Amelis.

Amelis Long: Thanks, Regina.