Tibbetts named Community Banker of Year

Jim Tibbetts, president and chief executive of First Colebrook Bank, has been named the New Hampshire Bankers Association’s 2009 New Hampshire Community Banker of the Year.

Tibbetts, who has been at the helm of First Colebrook for 12 years, has demonstrated a “professional and personal commitment to the concept that ‘doing the best we can do’ is the only acceptable standard against which we should measure our efforts,” said state Bank Commissioner Peter Hildreth said in presenting the award.

According to Hildreth, Tibbetts “has been a key player in numerous projects instrumental to the overall health of New Hampshire’s North Country,” including a partnership with the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and The Northern Forest Center in creating a Leadership Exchange to address the challenges facing northern forest communities.

“When the grass was green in January due to lack of snow, Jim met with business owners scrambling to meet payroll and overhead expenses. When devastating storms hit, he spearheaded a $1 million, low-interest loan program for residents and businesses,” said Hildreth. — JEFF FEINGOLD/NEW HAMPSHIRE BUSINESS REVIEW