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ReserveNotes

Louisville Bids Farewell to
Ron Hadorn; Welcomes Ralph Ising
FedEDI Software Now Available

Louisville Bids Farewell to
Ron Hadorn; Welcomes Ralph Ising

Ralph Ising

Sept. 1, 1998, was a day of mixed emotions for many employees and customers of the Louisville Fed. On that day Ron Hadorn, the office's long-time account executive, retired after working at the Fed for almost 30 years. At the same time, everyone eagerly welcomed Ralph Ising, an employee from the check department waiting in the wings to take his place.

More Than 600,000 Miles Covered

It's been almost 30 years since Ron Hadorn first walked in the front door of the Louisville Fed. On that day in 1969, Hadorn started his professional life at the Bank as a management trainee. Ten years later, his career changed directions, and he started his successful journey as the Louisville zone's account executive. Hadorn liked his job of visiting financial institutions so much that he worked the remainder of his career fulfilling this role.

Some of the things Hadorn says he will miss most about being an account executive is talking with financial institutions about their problems, addressing their needs and helping them save money. In fact, he viewed his job as more of a consultant than a salesman. "After visiting with bankers for 18 years, I consider all the people I've met more as friends than business acquaintances," says Hadorn.

This role won't change as the reigns are turned over to Ising; however, Hadorn believes the new account executive faces different challenges and opportunities than those experienced throughout his own tenure. Among other things, Ising has a smaller customer base, due to interstate banking, and increasing mergers and acquisitions over the past few years.

"In addition to serving the community banks, Ralph will be talking increasingly more with regional and larger financial institutions. This will require him to develop services that satisfy their needs," explained Hadorn.

Before he left, Hadorn offered one last word of advice for his successor--to put himself in his customers' shoes. "When you treat customers like you want to be treated, you can never go wrong."

Former Assistant Check Manager Pounds the Pavement

Although the Louisville office is sad to see Hadorn leave, it looks forward to the skills and talents Ising will bring to the job. Ising has been with the Fed since his college days. He has spent most of his 15 years at the Bank working various positions in the check department--supervisor of night operations, analyst and his most recent position as assistant manager of check processing.

This wealth of knowledge will be invaluable for the new account executive. Ising's knowledge of payor bank services will give him a unique understanding of customer issues that pertain to check operations. "Given my background, I can relate to customers' operational issues and hopefully resolve quickly any problems they have," he said.

Ultimately, Ising's goal is to provide financial institutions with services that help them most effectively conduct their business. To do this in today's dynamic banking environment, he likely will consult with financial institutions on issues outside of operations. One of his biggest challenges is learning more about these areas so he can provide customers with helpful information that simplifies their day-to-day activities.

In addition to keeping on top of Fed services, all District account executives need to understand the unfolding trends with new and emerging payments. Ising believes the industry has gotten more complex over the past 15 years, with more payment options available to bankers than ever before. He hopes to improve the visibility of the Fed and its services by maintaining the strong relationships Hadorn built with customers, as well as participating in industry conferences and trade shows.

There's one service Ising intends to provide, and that is meeting his customers' day-to-day needs. "One of the best things I can do is continue delivering financial institutions the same high quality service Ron provided for more than 18 years. And knowing Ron the way I do, these will be hard shoes to fill."

If you would like to schedule a visit with Ising, please call him at (502) 568-9290.