CIO 2006: Delaware County Bank & Trust's Brian Stanfill Lives and Works With a Sense of Adventure
Brian Stanfill, SVP of operations at Delaware County Bank & Trust, brings his love for challenges to his IT department. In this podcast, Stanfill discusses his key project at Delaware County, "Smart Deposit Solutions," which takes advantage of Check 21 legislation. Stanfill also speaks to the values that guide his life and his business philosophy.
When he's away from the office, Brian Stanfill tends to seek out adventure. "I like challenges," he says, adding that he spends his free time leading young people around the country to rock climb, white-water raft and mountain bike. This trailblazing spirit also is apparent in Stanfill's professional life.
As SVP of operations at Lewis Center, Ohio-based Delaware County Bank & Trust ($703 million in assets), Stanfill is apt to take on some of the bank's most challenging projects. After accepting his position at Delaware County in 1998, Stanfill was tasked with solving one of the greatest IT challenges -- the Y2K conversion -- along with development of the bank's Internet banking platform, www.webdcb.com. Stanfill then focused on taking advantage of Check 21 legislation and implementing "smart deposit solutions," he says.
According to Stanfill, working for a small bank offers certain opportunities that bigger banks don't have. "My experience with bigger organizations is that creativity is stifled because there is such bureaucracy. There is such a limited desire to take risks because the focus is on the month or quarter and that does not help being innovative," he says. "The advantage of a smaller institution is that you can bring people from multiple disciplines that can make decisions and take risks a little easier."
At Delaware County, Stanfill has been able to take advantage of that willingness to take risks, deploying a number of innovative systems, including Internet banking, electronic reporting, and automating statements and image statements, he relates. "It's been very enjoyable and very exciting to make those transformations," Stanfill says.
Working with individuals and bringing out their own innovation and ingenuity is the part of the job that Stanfill says he enjoys the most. It's "allowing them to flourish and prosper and put those things that they have in mind in place. And when you get multiple people being innovative, it's exciting," he says.
And Stanfill isn't talking about just his professional contemporaries. Involvement in the Eagle Scouts also allows Stanfill to foster an appreciation of innovation among his community's youth. "I work with developing young people -- giving them opportunities, giving them challenges. ... I find that very rewarding because they are the ones who are going to make the difference," he says. "We encourage all of our employees to be involved in the community. We live in this community, we're part of this community and we interact with them every day."
The values that guide Stanfill's daily life are ones he learned years ago from his family: work hard, behave ethically and, most of all, care about those around you. "It's not about the job -- it's about interacting and taking care of the less fortunate," says Stanfill, who also lives and works with the philosophy of "service above self" that he gleaned from Rotary International. The organization's four-way test -- Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it breed good will and better friendships? Will it be beneficial for all concerned? -- is the standard by which he guides his actions, he says.
"I have been really blessed by having a number of educational experiences and a number of very good people to work with over the years that have mentored or coached me and given me lots of opportunities to learn," he says.
Brian Stanfill
SVP of Operations
Delaware County Bank & Trust
Lewis Center, Ohio
Years With Bank: 8
Years in Current Position: 6
Size of IT Department: 11
Hobbies: Rotary International, Eagle Scouts, hiking, rock climbing, biking, rafting
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