Benchmark Community Bank recently announced additional changes at its Farmville locations. Teresa Stewart has stepped into the role of vice president/business banker, a position formerly held by Lee Minix.  Cheryl Gee has been promoted to vice president and has moved to the Main Street location as branch manager.  Going forward, the downtown office will transition to focusing on teller transactions and the opening of deposit accounts.   All lending activity will be channeled to the Main Street branch.

Stewart has been with Benchmark for 26 years and has had a number of increasingly responsible roles in her tenure with the bank.  Most recently, she was vice president/branch manager for the Main Street office, a position she had held since 2009.  In her new role, she will focus on serving the business community with their financial needs by arranging commercial loans and offering a variety of commercial products and services.

Gee has over 30 years of banking experience and has been with Benchmark since 2008.  She started as an assistant vice president/relationship banker and in 2012 was promoted to branch manager for the downtown office.  In her new role, she will be overseeing a larger customer base and staff at a location that is one of the bank’s busiest.  She will be responsible for account growth at that branch and consumer loans for the entire Farmville market due to the cessation of loan activity at the downtown office.

Upon receiving notice of her promotion, Stewart said, “I am very proud to be a part of Benchmark and truly appreciate the many opportunities they have given me over the years. 

I look forward to working with the commercial team and having the chance to work more closely with the many businesses in and around Farmville.  It will allow me to play a larger role in keeping this community that I love vibrant and economically sound.  That’s exciting to me.”

Vice President and Senior Credit Officer Lee Minix remarked, “It was a pleasure welcoming Teresa into the role of VP/business banker for the Farmville market.  She has been a key part of the Benchmark team since its start here in 1989.  She has a very good understanding of our market and our business clients and, in her prior roles has done an excellent job focusing on customer needs and relationships. I know our commercial clients will enjoy interacting with Teresa and will benefit from her expertise.”

Gee was equally pleased with her promotion. She commented, “I am very grateful to Benchmark for this wonderful opportunity to take on the responsibility for a larger branch and be able to help a greater segment of our community. In my many years as a banker, I have formed wonderful relationships in and around the Farmville area and hope to build many more! I am very excited about my new role with the bank and will work hard to continue to carry out the customer-focused mission and values that make Benchmark unique.”

Senior Vice President LeAnne Emert remarked, “Cheryl has been a true asset to Benchmark. We are most fortunate to have her.  A well-known face in the Farmville banking community, she has established many long-term relationships with her customers and is known for her caring and welcoming approach. It is with great pride that we promote her to VP/branch manager in one of our largest service areas.”

Founded in 1971, Benchmark Community Bank will celebrate its 45th anniversary this year.