Sturgis Bank & Trust Company was founded in 1905 by a group of local businessmen as a state-chartered institution called the Sturgis Building and Loan Association. The founder’s mission for the institution was to promote personal savings and provide home financing for the citizens of Sturgis. It is believed that the Association began its work in a small room in the OD Russel Boarding House before transitioning to a second-story office in the Masonic Temple Building.
In 1949, Sturgis Building and Loan Association changed its name to Sturgis Savings and Loan and moved to an office space at 107 East Chicago Road. They operated business out of that location until 1974 when the Association built a new facility on the corner of Chicago and Monroe.
In 1976, Leonard Eishen moved to Sturgis and began his career as CEO with the company. His first order of business was to open additional locations throughout several Southwest Michigan communities.
In 1986, the Board decided to move from the state-chartered savings and loan to Sturgis Federal Savings Bank (FSB), a federally chartered bank.
In 1997, the Bank saw an opportunity to diversify its services by offering trust, investment, and title subsidiaries, so SB&TC returned to a state-chartered bank and renamed itself Sturgis Bank & Trust Company.
Throughout the next several years, the Bank continued to experience exponential growth under Leonard's leadership. In 2002, he proudly appointed his son, Eric Eishen, who had spent his entire professional career working in different roles at the Bank, to CEO and President. During his tenure, Eric continued the company's expansion and opened five new locations, including the first two branches in Berrien County.
In fall of 2021, the Sturgis Main office underwent a major renovation, transforming the main lobby, Oakleaf Financial Services' office space, and executive conference room, which Eric Eishen beautifully curated to reflect our company's rich history.
In 2022, Jason Hyska, Senior Vice President and Head of Retail Lending, was named Chief Executive Officer for the Bank alongside Matt Scheske, Senior Vice President and Head of Commercial Lending, who was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer. Both gentlemen have worked for Sturgis Bank for their entire careers, beginning as tellers and interns. Together, they continued the Western Market expansion into Berrien County and opened additional branches in other markets we serve. Eishen continued in his concurrent role as President and Chief Executive Officer of Sturgis Bancorp, Inc., the holding company of Sturgis Bank, and as Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer for the Bank.