Plugged In - A Banking Podcast
Plugged In brings you raw, honest takes on all things in the banking industry. That means you aren’t going to get some buzzword-filled, cliche podcast – you’re getting an unfiltered look into topics in the financial world no one else is talking about. Your hosts, Al Dominick and Steve Williams, will talk to top players in the industry about what matters now, and what will shape the future.
To groove along with Al and Steve's song references each episode, check out the official Plugged In Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Z7NWPIQuaXQlfHxLWJb3g?si=o552CzjwTr6R4mx13NmOBA
Episodes
41 episodes
Ep 41: Numbers Don't Lie - How This $5.5B Bank in Kansas Was Built // CEO Brad Elliott
On the show today: Al and Steve speak with Brad Elliott, founder, chairman and CEO of Equity Bank, about building a $5.5 billion institution through an aggressive M&A strategy.Brad shares how the bank attracts and develops...
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Season 1
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Episode 41
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22:11
Ep 40: Embracing Entrepreneurship in a Disruptive Market
Generative A.I. is an intervention moment for the financial services industry.Today on the show, Al and Steve chat about A.I. playbooks and what banks are doing with GenAI right now (namely tepid things, like testing Microsoft Copilot wi...
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Season 1
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Episode 40
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26:28
Ep 39: "I'm An Entrepreneur. Just In A Banker's Body" // Malcolm Holland
Malcolm Holland, Chariman of the Board, CEO and President of Veritex Community Bank, sees himself as a banker who embraces opportunities.On today's show, Al and Steve chat with Malcolm about how he started a bank as a 25-year-old in the ...
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Season 1
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Episode 39
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29:38
Ep 38: Banking in 2025: "Only the Entrepreneurs Will Get Growth"
They’re back. In Arizona.In advance of the upcoming Acquire or Be Acquired conference, Al and Steve chat about trends that will matter to the C-Suite this year, including: M&A activity coming in hot and how to source new ...
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Season 1
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Episode 38
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15:13
Ep 37: 2024 In Review: Banking's Big Moves
In this final episode of the Plugged In Series for 2024, Steve and Al reflect on the year's significant events and trends in the banking industry, including a resurgence in mergers and acquisitions, the challenges posed by technology and compli...
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Season 1
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Episode 37
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1:13:50
Ep 36: The Biggest Technologies Shaping Banking Right Now // Hans Morris
Hans Morris is used to following fintech trends. He’s a managing partner at Nyca Partners, a fintech venture capital firm in New York and San Francisco, and the chairman of the board of Lending Club. In today’s Punk Rock-themed show, Hans talks...
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Season 1
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Episode 36
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32:17
Ep 35: On Growing a California Bank Year After Year // CEO Dave Brager
Citizens Business Bank has made money in every single quarter of every single year for more than 47 years.Today on the show, Al and Steve talk to Dave Brager, CEO of Citizens Business Bank and 2022 GonzoBanker of the Year Bank award winn...
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Season 1
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Episode 35
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27:35
Ep 34: Banking Is Gonna Make You Sweat
Today on the show, Steve quizzes Al on the hottest topics discussed at the recent Association for Financial Technology Fall Summit held in Palm Springs. Among them: the Federal Res...
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Season 1
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Episode 34
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22:16
Ep 33: Lake City's Secret Sauce // CEO David Findlay
Lake City Bank has managed to grow its book value per share even amid some of the thorniest industry challenges.David Findlay, Chairman and CEO of Lake City Bank, talks to Al and Steve about why the bank is creating an innovation and tec...
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Season 1
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Episode 33
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25:20
Ep 32: How This 177-Year-Old Bank Innovates // Nitin Mhatre
It’s action packed in banking right now as regulatory uncertainty mounts with the looming presidential election.Today on the show, Al and Steve pick the brain of Nitin Mhatre, the CEO of Berkshire Bank, on the most pressing issues in ban...
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Season 1
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Episode 32
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29:32
Ep 31: The Recipe for Growing a Bank in 2024 with WesBanco’s Jeff Jackson
As Jeff Jackson, the CEO of WesBanco, sees it, M&A activity can only go up.In this episode, Al and Steve chat with Jeff about why that is and what is at stake for community banks across the country.They also explore other bank...
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Season 1
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Episode 31
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28:21
Ep 30: Who's Swimming Without a Bathing Suit?
The frequent flyer miles are overflowing for Steve and Al as they continue to visit banks across the country. In this episode, they dish on the burning C-suite issues, including: recession risks, core deposit growth challenges (and ideas to ove...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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24:29
Ep 29: Are You Ready For Some… Bank CEO Perspective // Mike Daniels
Mike Daniels, the chairman and CEO of Nicolet Bank and Green Bay Packers’ board member, talks to Al and Steve about what it takes for a community bank to flourish right now and the NFL offseason.They also chat about how to preserve compa...
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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25:44
Ep 28: The Lessons of '24 (So Far): This Is Going To Be Rough!
In this episode, Al and Steve discuss the mounting scrutiny on banking-as-a-service providers, the perplexities tied to a higher interest rate environment and the mounting concerns of succession planning.But it’s not all doom and gloom....
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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21:35
Ep 27: The bold bankers with Al Dominick and Mary Wisniewski
It’s hard to stand out in banking but not impossible. In this cross-over edition of Plugged In, Al Dominick sits down with Mary Wisniewski to explore talent retention, theatrical innovation acts and the importance of the return on tech. They al...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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21:20
Ep 26: What does it take to be a successful bank? // Tom Michaud
Tom Michaud, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, is back! This time, he joins Steve and Al to answer the question bankers across the country want to know: How to compete with big institutions and non-banks....
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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31:53
Ep 25: Pizza parties, digital banks, university appeal // April Clobes
In this episode, Al and Steve sit down with April Clobes, president and CEO of MSU Federal Credit Union, to chat about growth strategies in Michigan, a state that ranks 49th in overall population growth since the 1990s. Spoiler: For the univers...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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29:11
Ep 24: Banking on Resilience: Navigating the Digital Frontier // Kirk Wycoff and Tom Cestare
Join Al Dominick and Steve Williams as they speak with Kirk Wycoff, managing partner, and Tom Cestare, COO, of Patriot Financial Partners to delve into how banks are building resilience through digital innovation. This episode features discussi...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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29:00
Ep 23: It’s Not Too Corny to Talk About Love and Banking
In this year’s final episode of Plugged In, Al and Steve reflect on their favorite moments from 2023 – including in banking, books and music. They also explore the top traits that make for smarter banks. Bonus: Hear the backstory of how the Gon...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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29:32
Ep 22: Scaling the Bank: ‘We’re Not Going to Stand Still’ // Maria Tedesco
Al and Steve sit down with Maria Tedesco, the president of Atlantic Union, the commonwealth of Virginia’s largest independent bank. They explore how to navigate some of the thorniest industry challenges, including: retaining deposits in a risin...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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28:35
Ep 21: Smarter Bank Live! With Al Dominick and Steve Williams
Al and Steve are back! Here is the audio version of their Smarter Bank Live virtual event that you don't want to miss. Join the insightful discussion on how banks can transform into "Smarter Banks" in the current environment. They explore 5 key...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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34:33
Ep 20: Testing Ideas, Inspiring Talent and Growing Franchise Value // Kevin Blair
Kevin Blair, the CEO of Synovus, shares with Al and Steve his views on hybrid work, sourcing talent from outside of banking, and chasing ideas even when the undercurrents are tough like right now. Among the bank’s recent pursuits? Launching Maa...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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32:25
Ep 19: It’s Awfully Hard to be Creative (and Other Existential Challenges) // Chip Mahan
On this episode Al Dominick and Steve Williams sit down with legendary entrepreneur Chip Mahan, founder of companies like Live Oak Bank and Canapi Ventures. Chip shares his unique perspective on innovation, building customer trust, controlling ...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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26:03
Ep 18: Baby Don’t Hurt Me: Bankers and AI // Sarah Hinkfuss
How is AI transforming banking and financial services? On this episode, Al and Steve talk with Sarah Hinkfuss (Bain Capital Ventures) to provide an insider's perspective on the impact of generative AI tools like ChatGPT.They discuss strategies ...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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28:56
Ep 17: Tech Companies Aren't Immortal and Banks Aren't Dead
On this episode, Al Dominick and Steve Williams give an unfiltered look at what's next for financial institutions during a time of rising rates, economic uncertainty, and fast-changing technology.You'll get the duo's straight talk on:Why histor...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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18:44
