By Emily Bontrager
A longtime employee of Exchange Bank of Northeast Missouri is retiring on June 30.
Joseph ‘Joe’ Fulk, 66, has worked at the Memphis branch for 17 years. He is currently the Executive Vice President, Memphis Branch Manager, and a Senior Loan Officer.
Fulk grew up in Scotland County and graduated from Scotland County High School in 1976. Joe lives in Memphis, MO with his wife Lori and they have two sons.
In 1977, Joe began working at the Mercantile Bank in Memphis in the bookkeeping department and worked his way up through different positions throughout the years.
“I started out at Mercantile Bank and it changed hands a couple of times. I was there 30 years and the opportunity came for a different bank to come along,” Fulk explained.
In March of 2007, Fulk began working at Exchange Bank of Northeast Missouri. He has been the Memphis Branch Manager for 17 years and the Exchange Bank of Northeast Missouri Executive Vice President for a few years.
One of the aspects that Joe enjoys about his job the most is working with the public. He also enjoys being involved in the community. He is a part of the Scotland County Rotary, Scotland County Historical Society, Memphis Community Players, and the Scotland County R-1 Foundation Board.
Fulk will miss interacting with his longtime customers and helping people with their financial needs.
After he retires, Joe plans to devote time to projects around home he has not had the chance to finish. He also wants to travel with his wife and spend time with his sons and grandchildren.
“I look forward to not running off a schedule and having some freedom to do things at my own pace,” Fulk said.
On Thursday, June 27, an open house will be held from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm to celebrate Joe’s retirement. Everyone is welcome to stop by and congratulate him.
The Memphis branch is located at 304 East Grand Avenue. The new Memphis Branch Manager taking Joe’s place is Debra Briggs, a longtime employee at the bank.
“I want to say I appreciate the opportunities that Exchange Bank has given me over the years. I believe we have built a strong community oriented bank here and I look forward to that tradition continuing on,” Fulk said.
