Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • December 11, 2013 Remember to ‘Go Local’ when holiday shopping As shoppers budget and make their holiday shopping lists, the Independent Community Bankers of America® and Atlantic Stewardship Bank are encouraging consum- ers to “Go Local” once again this holiday season by doing either a portion, or all of their shopping, at local small busi- nesses. By doing so, consumers will be putting money back to work in their communities, just like they do every time they dine at a local restaurant or choose to bank locally with a community bank. Community banks are huge advocates and supporters of local small businesses. In fact, even though community banks comprise only 20 percent of banking industry assets, community banks with less than $10 billion in assets pro- vide nearly 60 percent of outstanding bank small business loans. Because community banks are small businesses, they are able to partner with their small business custom- ers to help them understand local market dynamics and the opportunities and challenges that small businesses in their area face. “It’s no secret that by lending to small businesses in our area, Atlantic Stewardship Bank helps our local economy thrive and flourish,” said Atlantic Stewardship Bank Presi- dent and CEO Paul Van Ostenbridge. “During the holiday season, you have the same power. I encourage everyone to take time to visit local businesses and see what products you can obtain locally and see the services these companies have to offer.” Bill Loving, chairman of the ICBA and president of Pendleton Community Bank in Franklin, West Virginia, added, “The holidays are all about giving, so it’s the per- fect time to give back to your community by choosing to spend your dollars locally, where it will be used to help support the local small businesses, which drive jobs and vibrancy in your local community. So go ahead and spread some holiday cheer locally this year. By doing so, you’ll be able to cross items off of your shopping list and make lots of folks happy—all the while reinvesting in your commu- nity—helping it prosper during the holidays and well into the new year.” To learn more about ICBA’s Go Local initiative and ways everyone can go local this holiday season, visit www. icba.org/golocal. To join the conversation, follow @ICBA’s hashtag #golocal. The Independent Community Bankers of America®, the nation’s voice for nearly 7,000 community banks of all sizes and charter types, is dedicated exclusively to repre- senting the interests of the community banking industry and its membership through effective advocacy, best-in- class education, and high-quality products and services. For more information, visit www.icba.org.