‘This recognition a testament to hard work and dedication’
August 3, 2026
NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN – At a time when many banks are steering customers toward apps, using automated phone systems and centralizing loan departments, Brendon Wilkinson said First Community Bank wagers the future of community banking rests on relationships.
Wilkinson said that philosophy has guided the Milton-based institution for generations.
Now, through his relocation to Eagle River, Wilkinson said the bank is extending its concierge-style approach to customers throughout Vilas and Oneida counties without opening a traditional brick-and-mortar branch.
Instead, Wilkinson said he is bringing the bank directly to customers.
“We are a small-town bank of 22 employees who get to know customers and vice versa – it’s the way banking used to be,” he said. “All banks have green money, coins, loans and deposits, but it’s the way you interact with your financial institution that makes the difference.”
For First Community Bank, Wilkinson said that emphasis on personal service has been its focus for more than a century.
Founded in 1911 as Farmers Bank, the institution – per fcbmilton.com – has remained locally owned and headquartered in Milton, building its reputation, Wilkinson said, on local decision-making and long-term customer relationships.
Now, he said the bank is applying that same philosophy hundreds of miles to the north.
Banking without the branch
Wilkinson – who formerly served as the bank’s president and chief executive officer, now serving as executive vice president and private banker – officially began serving northern Wisconsin from Eagle River in July.
The arrangement, he said, is unconventional as there is no physical branch in Vilas or Oneida counties.
Instead, Wilkinson said he operates as an extension of the Milton headquarters, meeting customers where they are rather than expecting them to come into an office.
“It’s concierge banking, as I come to you,” he said.
Wilkinson said that concierge model reflects broader changes in how customers interact with financial institutions.
Customers still have access to the bank’s full range of services, he said, but instead of requiring a trip to a branch, he brings those services to homes and businesses across the region.
Building on years of relationships
Though his full-time move is new, Wilkinson said both his and the bank’s ties to the Northwoods are not.
For years, Wilkinson said First Community Bank has financed vacation homes and other properties throughout the state, steadily building relationships with Northwoods customers while operating from southern Wisconsin.
The opportunity to further build Northwoods business – and the opportunity to enjoy the area personally – he said, led him to move north.
“It’s small-world syndrome,” he said. “More people are looking for a place up here, and momentum built enough that it provided a path for me to come up here to bring that same high-touch service we provide back home, up here.”
Wilkinson said the decision to establish a full-time presence in the Northwoods was also driven by growing business volume and a desire to strengthen customer relationships.
“This arrangement of me living and breathing up here is brand new, but we have been doing the same style of business for five to 10 years to [customers] north of Stevens Point up to the Michigan border,” he said. “I’m a mobile banker and concierge banker.”
Wilkinson said the move also reflects a personal commitment to the region.
“We chose to move our family [to the Northwoods] because we love this place,” he said.
A different kind of local banking
Wilkinson said he believes having a banker who lives in the community creates opportunities that cannot be replicated through remote offices or regional lending centers.
Though he recognizes deposits are always important to banks, he said lending is his primary focus.
However, Wilkinson said his local presence is about more than being available for meetings – it’s about becoming an active part of the community.
“People like to do business with people they know, and our family has had a place in the Northwoods for a little more than 15 years,” he said. “Over that time, we’ve made our local connections, so I have begun to leverage those more.”
Wilkinson said for him, that familiarity is one of community banking’s greatest strengths.
“With time and building relationships, the same ingredients to our success back in Rock County will translate here very well,” he said.
Wilkinson said the bank’s approach is centered on local service, with customers able to reach him directly rather than navigating automated systems or overseas call centers.
Loan approvals, he said, are also handled locally instead of through an out-of-state center.
“You’re looking at it,” he said, pointing to himself.
Lending tailored to the Northwoods
Though First Community Bank offers full-service banking, Wilkinson said he expects lending to remain the primary driver of growth in northern Wisconsin.
The region’s economy, he said, presents lending opportunities that differ from many communities in southern Wisconsin.
“Northwoods clientele’s primary driver for loan activity is for vacation properties, smaller resorts and VRBOs – although they are less than they used to be a few years ago,” he said. “They certainly are an easy way for a family to have their piece of heaven up north and offset the cost. Activity today includes all of that as well as storage units, business-occupied real estate and really, any sort of real estate.”
Wilkinson said his experience includes financing vacation homes, commercial properties, resorts, land-development projects, investment properties and business acquisitions, all lending specialties that align closely with the needs of northern Wisconsin.
Ultimately, he said he hopes customers will view First Community Bank as more than simply a lender.
“We offer full-service banking options to them,” he said. “My challenge is to bring everything into the fold, [starting with lending] and as I grow trust, to gradually simplify their life by bringing all their banking needs under our bank.”
Community involvement beyond banking
Wilkinson said community involvement will remain a priority for him.
In Milton, he said he supported local nonprofits, including a food pantry and children’s museum, and plans to bring that same commitment to the Northwoods.
“That’s not a job responsibility but something I personally enjoy doing,” he said. “I have several [seats] expiring [in Milton] that I plan to replace with something here, because it’s the right thing to do, and I’m sure organizations here will welcome an extra set of hands.”
Wilkinson said he sees that philanthropic commitment as a natural extension of relationship banking.
Measuring success one relationship at a time
Unlike larger institutions focused primarily on market share, Wilkinson said First Community Bank has more modest aspirations for its northern Wisconsin expansion, with a specific focus on Vilas and Oneida counties.
“The bank is looking for loan growth but it is a spiderweb that will grow over time as one transaction leads to another,” he said. “But we are not looking to take over the world. We don’t need to be a megabank, and that’s not our intent. Our intent is to make connections and assist customers.”
Wilkinson said that measured approach reflects the bank’s broader philosophy.
Rather than competing on size, he said First Community Bank intends to compete on accessibility, responsiveness and personal relationships.
“Banking has changed over the years with online competitors, acquisitions and mergers, and when I talk to customers – particularly folks my age or older – it’s frustrating to not be able to speak to somebody if you have a problem,” he said. “I equate it to having a local insurance agent. Hopefully, you never have to call for a fire or hail damage, but when you need them, you want to call and talk to that person.”
Wilkinson said the move also carries personal significance, noting he is “ecstatic” to now spend the majority of his time in the Northwoods.
“I’m not shy to say this works out great for me, too,” he said. “The most desirable part of my job is working with and helping customers, and I get to do that here. With all the bike riding, fishing and going out in the woods and to local establishments, my wife and I are just tickled to be here.”
When describing First Community Bank’s goals in northern Wisconsin, Wilkinson said the focus remains rooted in the same values that have shaped the institution for generations.
“[We are excited] to bring the trust we have earned in Rock County to the Northwoods,” he said. “We’re a 115-year-old, single-location bank with a remote office here, and we’ve been owned by the same group of individuals for the past 35 years. That’s very unusual in today’s banking environment, and it allows us to provide a different approach [to banking].”
