NEW BREMEN – First National Bank in New Bremen announced Bill Wente will retire from the bank in the next year, and Jerry S. Lehman, Jr. will replace him as president.

Wente was elected president of the bank in 2000 and has been associated with the bank for the last 40 years. Previously he served as the controller and chief financial officer.

During his tenure at First National Bank, Wente saw the bank grow from $26 million to more than $300 million in total assets.

There were many changes during that period including going from a very manual system to one that is highly automated. Now money moves electronically, and people have instant access to their banking information by way of their mobile devices.

Another major change during that time period was government regulation. Any dip in the economy resulted in some needed regulation and some not so needed regulation, Wente said.

Wente is a graduate of New Bremen High School and Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor of Science in business administration.

He previously worked as a certified public accountant before joining the bank. He also worked for related companies of the Komminsk family. He has been active in the community throughout the years, serving organizations as a board member, officer and member.

The Board of Directors of First National Bank in New Bremen has chosen Lehman to replace Wente as president of bank, which became effective Monday. Lehman and Wente will work together through the next 12 months to ensure a smooth transition.

Lehman began his career at the bank in 2003 as a commercial lender and served as senior loan officer, vice president and executive vice president of the bank. He is a member of the board of directors.

A graduate of the Ohio State University, Lehman holds a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural economics with an emphasis in marketing. He then proceeded to Ashland University and obtained a Master of Business Administration in executive management.

Before joining the bank, Lehman had more than 14 years of experience at various financial institutions where he held the position of loan officer, regional credit officer and district manager.

Lehman has been instrumental in growing the loan portfolio for the bank during the past 17 years. He will continue in that capacity and take over more responsibility in the administrative, strategic planning and supervision of the bank.

A native of New Knoxville, Lehman resides with his wife, Cindy, on the family farm where he grew up. He has two adult children and one heading off to college.

He has taken an active role in the community and various organizations. In his spare time, he enjoys working on his family’s fifth generation farm.

Bradley Barga was promoted to vice president/chief operations officer of the bank. He began his career in the accounting department of the bank and was promoted to controller and operations officer in 2012.

Barga is a graduate of Wright State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and accounting. With more than 14 years of experience with First National Bank, his promotion reflects his years of service and his expertise with the financial well-being of the bank.

A native of North Star, Barga resides in Sidney with his wife, Jennifer, and three children. In his spare time, he helps coach his children’s sports activities and enjoys spending time with his family.

Andrew Roiberg was promoted to chief financial officer of the bank. He began his career in public accounting with Deloitte & Touche, LLP where he worked as an audit senior. He was involved in audit engagements, financial statement preparation, internal controls, research and supervisory duties.

Roiberg also has spent a number of years in the manufacturing arena as a controller and has been involved in all areas of accounting. He is a graduate of Western Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting.

He lives in New Bremen with his wife, Lindsay, and their four children. He has been involved as an officer and member of the New Bremen Festival Association, Cardinal Recreation Club and other activities in the community. In his spare time, he helps coach his children’s sports activities and enjoys spending time with his family.

First National Bank has offices in Sidney, Botkins, Wapakoneta, New Knoxville and New Bremen. The bank has operated in this area since 1934 as a federally charted financial institution.

To learn more about First National Bank and the services it provides, call 419-629-2761 or visit its website at www.firstnbank.bank.