Heartland BancCorp Promotes Benjamin Babcanec to Chief Operating Officer

WHITEHALL, Ohio, Sept. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Heartland BancCorp (“Heartland” and “the company”) (OTCQX: HLAN), parent company of Heartland Bank (“Bank”), today announced that Benjamin Babcanec has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately. In his new role, Babcanec will oversee all operations across the bank within Retail Banking in Ohio and Kentucky, Commercial Banking, Agribusiness Banking, Residential Mortgage, Treasury Management and Client Services, Public Funds and Loan Syndication responsibilities.

“With over 18 years of experience with Heartland Bank, Ben is an excellent choice for this position,” stated G. Scott McComb, Chairman, President & CEO. “He continues to be a creator and keeper of our company culture, having worked in increasingly progressive positions throughout his tenure with us, and will serve our bank well as we grow our community banking presence throughout Ohio and Kentucky.”

Babcanec started his career with Heartland in 2001 in Retail Banking and eventually moved into the VP, Head of Retail position in 2012 to oversee all of retail operations. In 2015, he was promoted to Senior Vice President.

In addition to Babcanec’s daily responsibilities and strategic visions, he is also a valuable member of the bank’s quality, compliance, asset-liability, pricing, compliance and risk management committees, and serves as a voting member of Heartland Bank’s loan committee.

Babcanec received a degree from the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin Madison, and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Toledo with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration-Finance. Additionally, he attended the Blythe School of Banking and the American Banking Association Principals of Banking. In May of 2019, Babcanec began leading public funds and wholesale deposits for the bank. He has also served as Director Region 1 of the Community Bankers Association of Ohio Board since 2018. His extensive service to the community includes Past President and a member of the Gahanna Lions Club, as well as a member of the Sunrise Masonic Lodge #783 and is a member of other significant community organizations.

About Heartland BancCorp

Heartland BancCorp is a registered Ohio bank holding company and the parent of Heartland Bank, which operates 19 full-service banking offices and TransCounty Title Agency, LLC. Heartland Bank, founded in 1911, provides full-service commercial, small business, and consumer banking services; professional financial planning services; and other financial products and services. Heartland Bank is a member of the Federal Reserve, a member of the FDIC, and an Equal Housing Lender. Heartland BancCorp is currently quoted on the OTC Markets (OTCQX) under the symbol HLAN. Learn more about Heartland Bank at Heartland.Bank

In May of 2020, Heartland was ranked #58 on the American Banker Magazine’s list of Top 200 Publicly Traded Community Banks and Thrifts based on three-year average return on equity as of December 31, 2019. In September of 2019, Heartland stock uplisted to the OTCQX^® Best Market after previously trading on the OTCQB^® Venture Market.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release contains forward-looking statements that reflect management's current views of future events and operations. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to the Company as of the date of this release. It is important to note that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the ability of the Company to implement its strategy and expand its lending operations.