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

 

We are proud to share that BOS was selected as the 2023 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 2023.

About the 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 BOS experienced firsthand how the SBA can help the bank’s customers and reinforce our communities.

Accepting the Award is Andrew Young, VP SBA Lending, and Thomas Rodden, VP Commercial & SBA Lending Officer.

Thomas Rodden started the SBA department from the ground up and was successful in obtaining the designation of both a 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.  In May 2021, the bank hired SBA specialist Andrew Young to assist with building the program and expanding the program.  Andrew has 12 years of SBA lending experience that spans all areas of the SBA lending process.  Andrew is very passionate about assisting small businesses with achieving their goals.   

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 Central / Southern Illinois Community Lender of the Year. 

I am very proud of our lenders at BOS and our commitment to seek opportunities to provide credit to small businesses in the communities we serve.

Jason Knoedler

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.