BOS Receives the 2024 Central / Southern Illinois Community Lender of the Year Award.

Accepting the Award is Tom Rodden standing with the U.S. SBA District Director, Willette LeGrant,

We are proud to share that BOS was selected as the 2024 Small Business Administration (SBA) Central / Southern Illinois Community Lender of the Year.

This award is presented to the community bank with the best overall performance record for lending to small businesses in Central and Southern Illinois in 2024. BOS was also named the 2023 recipient of this award.

About the BOS SBA Department

BOS has been committed to assisting small businesses obtain funding in the Central Illinois area for almost 60 years. The bank saw an opportunity to further that commitment during the pandemic when small businesses needed assistance in the form of the Paycheck Protection Program. Through this initiative, BOS was able to assist over 2,200 businesses in Illinois and Missouri obtain funding and keep employees. It was during the rush of the PPP loans that the bank experienced firsthand how the SBA can help the banks customers and reinforce our communities

This recognition observes our continued commitment to support small businesses in our local communities. I am very proud of our team and our talented group of lenders.

- Mike Pence, BOS President

Thomas (Tom) Rodden started the SBA department from the ground up and was successful in obtaining the designation of both an SBA Express lender and a Preferred Lender. Both of these designations allow the bank to move swiftly throughout the SBA programs to obtain guarantees for our customers. Tom is a 20- year veteran of the BOS commercial banking department. His depth of knowledge and experience sets him apart from other SBA lenders in the area.

Since the beginning of the department, BOS has been recognized through several awards from the Small Business Administration. The bank won its first award in 2020 and was recognized as the 2019 Illinois Rising Star Lender of the Year by the SBA’s Illinois District Office. BOS was recognized again in 2022 as the 2021 Central / Southern Illinois Preferred Lender of the Year. In 2023, the bank was awarded the 2022 Illinois Rising Star Lender of the Year. For 2024, the SBA department was recognized by the SBA St. Louis MO District Office as one of the top 10 lenders in the area. Additionally, the SBA department has been recognized as the 2023 and 2024 Central/Southern Illinois Community Lender of the Year.

Featuring: Mike Pence, Jennifer Marantz, Ryan Murphy, Willette LeGrant, Dan Wilcoxen, Tom Rodden, Tom Kissel, Misty Adams, and Patrick Piorkowsk