The same can be said for the almost 800,000 federal employees who were furloughed or worked without pay during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history—men and women in Homeland Security, Justice, Agriculture, Treasury, Interior, Transportation, Commerce, State, the FDA, the EPA, and HUD. Our federal employees are the backbone of our communities, and Falcon was proud to be one of many local and national businesses to support them with their temporary needs.

During that time, we were privileged to welcome so many federal employees into the Falcon family, as well to as serve those who were already customers. Our lobbies were full—full of people shaking hands, hugging, sharing stories. To me, this is the best of banking. This is why my father joined Falcon’s board 33 years ago: to extend a hand when our communities need it.

We are living in an incredibly divisive time. But I believe that the American spirit—the American heart—is generous. I want to thank all of those hardworking federal employees: you are there for us. And we are honored to be there for you, now and into the future.