As difficult as the business and political environment is today, think back 150 years to the origins of Fifth Third Bank and you would be facing an impending Civil War. Makes today seem almost tame by comparison. It’s the lesson that hindsight provides us. No matter the difficulty, we can work through it and come out better and stronger for having battled the adversity. Right from its beginnings, Fifth Third overcame a national crisis and emerged as a strong, stable force in the financial community of Cincinnati.
The context of this month for all the employees of Fifth Third is the bank’s 150th anniversary. There is much to celebrate, even in these times of economic strife in Southeast Michigan. Our bank is strong and continuing to grow. We just opened three new banking centers and will cut the ribbon on two more before the end of the summer, including the new Fifth Third Bank in Detroit on the Wayne State campus.
Our employees will learn about the history of the bank and the thousands of employees who came before them. They will appreciate how each era of bankers had to face obstacles and what they did to successfully move the bank forward. Fifth Third had become known for providing superior customer service and following sound banking principles. The bank was also noted for its philanthropy and involvement in the community. The Fifth Third Foundation was the first corporate foundation established by a financial institution in the United States in 1948.
It is fitting that one of the cornerstones of our 150th celebration will be to reach out to the community and facilitate a food drive to replenish the food banks of Southeast Michigan. Fifth Third banking centers will serve as drop-off points for canned food donations, June 16-27. In conjunction with United Way agencies each banking center will collect food donations and arrange for redistribution to families in need. Summer is the time of year when food banks run lowest and the need is great. With the summer comes the suspension of school lunch and breakfast programs that support many families in our area and that add to the load that the food banks carry. By reaching out to our neighbors we hope to alleviate this problem this year.
As stewards of the Fifth Third legacy, today’s employees have a responsibility to carry on the values from the first 150 years while we look forward to new horizons that lay ahead of us. We see opportunities throughout the city and across the region. Some of those opportunities are partnering with businesses to fuel growth for our region. Others are supporting community causes. Both are important missions for Fifth Third Bank. When future generations of Fifth Third employees look back on this time and place 150 years from now, I want them to be proud of the heritage that we, the current employees of Fifth Third Bank, have so ably passed forward.
