First Northern Bank named Chamber’s Business of Year

The 2020 Business of the Year has been described as a pillar of local banking that’s very involved with the community during recent Awards of Excellence presentations.

In announcing the Sheridan County Chamber award recipient, Chamber CEO Dixie Johnson read the following comments from Chamber members who voted for the bank:

The Business of the Year award honors a Chamber member business that positively impacts the economic health of the Sheridan area through business practices, customer service and innovation.

Founded in 1885, First Northern Bank is family and employee-owned and was described in its nomination as a “community champion.” The bank supports the Sheridan County YMCA, 4-H, FFA, FBLA, school academic and athletic teams, drama and arts.

The bank also supports many other local organizations and events including The Hub on Smith Street, Sheridan Memorial Hospital Foundation, Sheridan College, the Downtown Sheridan Association, WYO Theater and the Chamber of Commerce.

Bank personnel donate many staff hours serving on boards across the community, including the WYO Rodeo, Habitat for Humanity and Sheridan County 4-H and FFA.

In 2020, the bank partnered with the Scott Foundation and other financial institutions to help create a significant contribution to the Sheridan Area Employee Relief Fund that helped those impacted by the effects of the COVID-19 shutdowns.

The bank was credited with increasing community giving, supporting local retail stores and encouraging shopping locally. In addition, the bank provided five area scholarships to graduating seniors, helped several nonprofits with matching grant challenges and provided support for the Big Horn baseball field.