When William A. “Bill” Valerian joined
Liberty Bank N.A. in 2004, he rebuilt
it from scratch. He recruited a new management team, developed an aggressive
three-year business plan, and attracted new
board members and shareholders.
The bank was struggling when Valerian
took over. After more than 13 years in business, the bank had only $54 million in
assets, and Valerian knew for the bank to
survive, it would have to grow. Under his
leadership, the bank’s assets have grown
from about $56 million in January 2004 to
$180 million in January 2007.
Valerian has created a “people-focused”
culture at Liberty Bank. He places a great
deal of emphasis on creating a positive
work environment and stresses the importance of a positive mental attitude. He says
the performance of each of his employees
plays an integral role in the company achieving growth. One initiative Valerian has initiated is a quarterly incentive payout program. All Liberty Bank employees receive
stock options with a fair market value of 100
percent of his or her base salary — which is
very unique for a company with less than 40
employees. With an owner-incentive approach, Valerian says employees will take
ownership and give you a better result
He was the first investor in the private
placement program. Valerian initiated and
implemented the program on the basis that
if the game plan isn’t successful, you’ll lose
what you put in to it.
Before joining Liberty, Valerian’s leadership grew Haverfield Corp. from a small
local savings and loan operation into a large
publicly traded bank holding company.
Now, the Beachwood-based Liberty Bank is
reaping the rewards of his leadership, as he
has taken the experience gained in his previous endeavors and used it to propel
Liberty into one of the fastest-growing
banks under $300 million in assets in Ohio.
Liberty is well-positioned to capitalize on the market opportunities created by consolidation in the banking industry because
its experienced management team seeks to
provide a higher level of service than may
be available at larger regional banks.
HOW TO REACH: Liberty Bank N.A., (216) 359-5500 or
www.libertybankna.com