Tompkins VIST Bank hosts area farmers

WYOMISSING >> Tompkins VIST bank recently hosted about 215 agricultural customers for the bank’s fifth annual agricultural luncheon.

The event is meant to show appreciation for the area’s agricultural community — including farmers and agribusiness, said Lynette Gelsinger, agricultural relationship lender.

“The luncheon is a thank you from Tompkins VIST that provides fellowship and acknowledgment of their efforts,” she said in an emailed response to questions.

The July 11 luncheon was held at the Leesport Farmer’s Market, and included attendees from the agricultural communities in Berks and Lebanon counties, according to Gelsinger.

Following a welcome from Scott Gruber, Tompkins VIST president and CEO, the lunch was served by bank senior leadership and staff, according to a press release.

“You are the reason we’re here,” Travis Werley, senior vice president, agricultural lending relationship manager, said as he welcomed the guests. He noted that it was a “privilege to work with people who are stewards of the land and who are working hard to overcome the challenges facing farmers today,” the release stated.

Werley and Gelsinger, in addition to being bankers, both have working farms with their families.

“Since Travis Werley and I are farmers ourselves, the foundation of our relationships is that we share common ground with the agricultural community. This allows us insight into specialized banking and lending needs to bet

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SUBMITTED PHOTO Lynette Gelsinger, agricultural relationship manager at Tompkins VIST Bank, standing, talks with with Jeffrey Davis, a crop farmer from Penn Township, at the bank’s fifth annual agricultural luncheon July 11. About 215 people attended the event.