Our History

Local businessman Billy S. Rowland led a team that recognized the real need and remarkable opportunity to serve the small and mid-sized businesses with a community-minded bank. Each day, we work to fulfill the founders’ vision of a bank that supports our local economy, gives back to the community and builds solid relationships through expert service and knowledge.

As Buckeye celebrates two decades of operation, every other locally owned financial institution that served Lorain County and the North Coast has vanished because of mergers and acquisitions by out-of-town institutions. Buckeye continues to stand strong serving the area by ensuring that there is a real community bank available to the local businesses.

Community Focus

Buckeye has a stake in its customer’s livelihood. We are intimately tied to the community, just like the businesses our customers run. We want to work together and leverage dollars to improve the community versus taking deposits from our community and reusing them in other places.

Through relationships built with trust and service, we work with clients to ensure that they can grow. At Buckeye, customers are not just data points, they are actual people working hard to grow businesses and be successful. Critical financial decisions are made here and made more quickly. Members of Buckeye’s leadership team live here and have the local market knowledge to allow our clients to seize opportunities.

Our Mission

Core Values:

  • We will treat our teammates, clients, business partners and shareholders with respect.
  • We will deliver innovative products and services that contribute to our clients' success.
  • We will nurture long-term relationships with our clients and business partners.
  • We will do what we say we will do.
  • We will invest in our teammates to create loyal, long-term relationships.
  • We will foster a culture of creativity, learning, personal growth, caring and belonging.