Jim Marcuccilli: CEO of STAR Financial Bank.

AuthorHromadka, Erik
PositionCEO PROFILE - Interview

Q&A

How did you decide to pursue a career in this industry?

I decided to pursue a career in banking since it was one of the many opportunities that existed within our family businesses. My degree in finance allowed for my ability to grow and take on a number of responsibilities in the banking organization.

What is the best business advice you recall getting and who made the suggestion?

The best business advice I received was from my father, Tom Marcuccilli. "Always remember that you're in the 'people business' not the banking business. The people you work with and the customers you serve is what makes you successful."

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What has been your most successful project?

I would consider my most successful project to have been part of a second generation that has managed to grow an independent financial institution and maintain it profitably to move it to a third and fourth generation.

Can you share an experience that didn't turn out as you expected, but provided a valuable lesson?

An experience that did not work out successfully was an attempt to write our own software for an ATM initiative. We learned a lot about our own capacity and how to view things in a longer-term perspective.

What goals would you like to accomplish in the near term?

One goal that I would like to accomplish is to see our financial institution exceed $2 billion in assets within the next three years.

AS CEO OF STAR FINANCIAL Bank, Jim Marcuccilli, is proud to continue the tradition of independent community banking that his family started even before he was born.

The bank traces its roots to 1943, when a small group of individuals led by two families--the Marcuccillis and the Wrights--decided that northeast Indiana needed a new local bank to serve their area. Selah G. Wright, and Ralph and Tom Marcuccilli, in partnership with a small group of businessmen, bought the Upland Branch of the Citizens State Bank of Fairmount for just $28,000.

Today, STAR Financial Bank has grown to more than $1.4 billion in assets with more than 40 banking centers in central and northeast Indiana. And Jim Marcuccilli has spent most of his life helping the bank grow.

However, he almost took an entirely different career path. In 1973, after graduating from the University of Notre Dame, where he was the manager of a student bar called The Senior Bar, he returned to his hometown of Marion and worked at Jerry's and Emley's, restaurants owned by his family. He was making plans to move...

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