“In a world full of men who love numbers, there was a place for a girl who loved words.” Long before she was a successful entrepreneur, Stacy Havener came from humble beginnings: a latchkey kid, with divorced parents, in a blue-collar family from a working-class town. With dreams of one day becoming a literature professor, she paid her way through a local university to earn a degree in English literature. “I never saw myself in the investment world,” Stacy said. “I was a writer, a poet, a storyteller.” But as fate would have it, her former high school soccer coach reached out with a job opport ..read more

We live by our motto: “We build successful relationships.” The entire organization expands together, meaning we honor a commitment to growth where no one gets left behind. How do we do this? As a team who finds the right spot, right now, for everyone. Accountability to High Standards Ultimately, our standards are our FIRST Values. They are simple, clear, time-tested, and predict continued flourishing. Our commitment to the family is to hold ourselves accountable to those ideas. To live them out with the knowledge they apply to each of us. None of us is exempt or above them. Like Orrin Anderson ..read more

In 1976, a construction crew stood, hands on hips and squinting into the sun, wondering how on earth they were going to lower the 10,000-pound limestone eagle to the ground. The regal statue had been perched above Phillips Avenue in downtown Sioux Falls since before the street was paved. With a little strategy and a big crane, the eagle would eventually land just a few feet away, on the corner of 9th and Phillips, where it still sits today. Now, when you walk by, it’s as if it was always there. For us at The First National Bank in Sioux Falls, we feel the same way each time we walk through our ..read more

Imagine it’s 1885 in Sioux Falls and you’re about to board a train for Chicago. The railway snakes hundreds of miles across the lonely prairie, and those miles set these cities worlds apart. How so? The money in your wallet is the key. First National Bank was founded in 1885 as Minnehaha National Bank. But in those days, we didn’t have Federal Reserve Bank Notes like we carry today. Instead, banks issued their own currency — but it was only as good as the name printed on the bill. Issued in 1889 from “The Minnehaha National Bank of Sioux Falls,” this $20 note was legal currency, backed by the ..read more

We give back to our communities in three primary ways: time, talent, and treasure. At First National Bank, we offer our collective time to help those who need it, talents to serve those who will benefit most, and treasure to support the causes we’re passionate about. The Impact of Stewardship One of our favorite causes is the Sioux Empire United Way. They support over 40 nonprofits that sponsor more than 90 different programs helping children, senior citizens, and the less fortunate. First National Bank accepts the award for Business of the Year from the Sioux Empire United Way. For years, fo ..read more

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. One month later, on January 13, 1942, William Wiswall (W. W.) Baker formally stepped to the helm of First National Bank as the nation was thrust into war. For Americans, everything changed. The war had already raged for years, but try as we might, the U.S. could not stay out of it. It reached into every home, pulling millions of men and women into theaters across the world. Farewells were bid everywhere — including the greater community of Sioux Falls — and those left behind shouldered the responsibility of running the country and fueling ..read more

If more than 135 years of doing business have taught us anything, it’s that every generation is tested. And with every test, our FIRST Values have shone brightly through even our darkest hours. The COVID-19 pandemic certainly proved to be one of those tests. Financial First Responders Imagine this scene. It’s 11:00 p.m. in downtown Sioux Falls. The streets are empty and office windows are dark — all except for those at 100 South Phillips Avenue. Inside, lights glowed as cross-functional teams worked to keep our community in business by processing Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. Becaus ..read more

Innovation is the bedrock of positive evolution. Everything we do is engineered to improve our customer experience. So, a touchstone question we ask of every new program is, “Does this idea have a clear opportunity to grow?” That is, does it make for a cleaner, tidier, and more efficient experience while creating fresh growth opportunities. Much of what we do is increase efficiency because it drives business in the long run. It’s a slow burn, but it’s an expectation of constant incremental improvements customers should have of us. The Advantage Network was born with this experience in mind. Ta ..read more

Our Operations team recently shut down a fraud attempt in the amount of more than $221,000 — a scheme hinging on a small business’s check that had been intercepted by the fraudsters. According to the Federal Trade Commission, bank transfers and payments accounted for the highest losses ($1.86 billion) from scams in 2023. If not handled properly, check payments can pose a great risk for businesses. That’s why we’re sharing our story: to help business owners better understand how checks can become vulnerable to fraud, and what you can do to mitigate that risk. A $221,000 returned check It starte ..read more

In 1885, we got our start in ag banking. And to this day, we remain committed to agriculture and serving farmers. With branch locations in Sioux Falls, Baltic, Brandon, Dell Rapids, Flandreau, and Harrisburg, our roots run deep within farm communities. “First National Bank really understands family business and family farming, and it means something to us,” said Brian Gilbert, Ag Banking Manager. “We’re a local bank with a passion for agriculture, and we’re still large enough to lend to larger producers and operations, which is something that sets us apart.” In addition to Brian, the First Nat ..read more