As a reminder to all of you reading this, we’re doing the bios in NO particular order or timeframe. As an organization, we have four wonderful banks who are members of our Chamber, and we’ll visit and do a bio on each of them before this series ends.
That being said, Lowry State Bank is where I got my first checking account (yes, I felt so mature!), got a loan for college and they are the folks many of my family relied upon and worked with over the years.
Lowry State Bank started in 1899, was acquired by the Martinson/Nelson Families (owners of the Glenwood State Bank) in 2002 and First National of Osakis joined this family of banks in 2019. This “common ownership” allows for the offering of additional services and products. Go TEAM! Lowry placed an ATM machine in Starbuck in 2014 and have just finished a huge remodel of their facility in 2023. Note the new availability of a 24/7 cash machine in the Lowry front foyer, but does it dispense candy like the old one?! Good humor. On a more serious side of business, Lowry just reached a huge milestone of 80 million in assets, up from 22-25 million in 2002.
Lowry State Bank has been a member of the Starbuck Chamber for many, many years. They are vocal supporters of our community, having given over 150 donations to the community this past year. Dave Lorence, president since 2005, talked convincingly about how a strong bank supports a strong community and vice versa. They want us all to succeed, so then they’ll succeed! Their advice to our chamber (and maybe to us all) was all about reinvesting-the more we give, the more we’ll get in return
When asked what is great about living near Starbuck, they talked about the needs and opportunities for startup businesses (see them for expert advice!), the friendly people who live here and especially the lakes. What a destination for outdoor enthusiasts. My visit was with Wendy Wesbur, Tim Olson, and Dave Lorence; all three transfers to our area, and all loving living here.
Lowry State Bank is also a huge supporter of all the agriculture in our area, wanting to focus on 4H and all farming. After all, we are on the prairie, what better farmland, right?
