Press Citizen
When Robert Dentel wrote a thesis paper for one of his classes during his senior year at the University of Northern Iowa 36 years ago, his college professor – one of the bigwigs at the Cedar Falls-based university – asked him about his future plans.
Dentel, then a 22-year-old business major who had completed an internship in the school’s financial office, explained he was going home to Victor. He had planned to work at his father’s bank, Victor State Bank.
“He asked, ‘What do you see as your future? Are you going to go back to this bank?’ I said, ‘Yes, that’s my plan,’” Dentel explained. “He said, ‘Don’t do it.’
“He said, ‘I don’t think you should do it. There’s other things you can do. I don’t see a future in country banks.’”
Against this professor’s advice, Dentel went back to his hometown and got a job at the bank.
As they say, it was the best advice not taken.
Dentel and his father, the late Robert Dentel Sr., turned Victor State Bank and the company that owned it, Dentel Bancorporation, into one of the top-performing and most successful banks in Iowa. The six Dentel-owned banks have consistently placed among the top 20 in the state according to Iowa Banking Magazine.
With the sale early this year of Victor State Bank to Belle Plaine-based Chebelle Corp., Dentel is leaving his hometown bank. He and sister Mary Howell will still oversee Dentel Bancorporation and its locations in Colfax, Corydon, Maxwell and Pocahontas, but from his home in Victor. (Panora State Bank, once owned by the Dentel family, has also been sold.)
“I’m not totally retired,” he said. “I’ll still be working for the other banks and still be doing what I love. I still have office at home and I’ll be doing things from there for those banks.”
The elder Robert Dentel came to Victor in 1965 when he purchased controlling interest in Victor State Bank. His son joined the company in 1982, and he quickly became president, a position he will hold until Friday, April 27.
Dentel had high praise for the new owners of Victor State Bank. Chebelle Corp. also operates Chelsea Savings Bank.
“They’re a family organization like us,” he said. “My expectations are there won’t be a lot of difference and they will run it like we ran it. Victor will still have community bank that cares about the town.”
He added that Victor is fortunate to have two banks that care about them, the other being Farmers Savings Bank. Its longtime president, Mel Happel, died in December, just two months after Dentel’s father. While both had their unique services, the younger Robert Dentel stressed that both banks took good care of their customers and put them first.
“We didn’t try to steal his customers and he didn’t try to steal mine,” he said. “Victor is better off for the way they’ve been run.”
Dentel’s wife, Patti, retired last year from teaching family and consumer sciences at HLV High School after 34 years. They likely will be doing some traveling in the years ahead, and enjoying time with their family, which includes daughters Abbey Deppe (and her husband, Dustin) and Katie, and son Jonathan.
“This has been a really nice town to raise our family,” he said. “I’ve always heard if you enjoy what you’re doing you don’t have to work a day in your life and I believe that. Every day is like a new adventure and I’ve never had two days that were the same.”
And as for that paper and advice?
Dentel tracked down his old professor and gave the epilogue: He went back to Victor, against his advice, and explained how he and his father built their company into one of the most successful small-town banking corporations.
“He sent the nicest letter back,” Dentel said. “He said, ‘Did I really say that?’ I just wanted to get back to him and everything worked out and it did.”
An open house for Dentel from 2 to 5 p.m. Friday, April 27, at the bank patrons and the community may greet Dentel and wish him well.
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