ABOUT US
Our History & Story
Jerome Payne had a vision of opening a bank in Eagle Butte, SD. He began to work on what would become his legacy, the State Bank of Eagle Butte. With a handful of investors and his wife, Helen, at his side the State Bank of Eagle Butte opened its doors on February 1st of 1960.
Our motto, “Big enough to serve you…Small enough to know you” has been held with pride since our inception and will continue to hold true. Being locally owned and operated from generation to generation we strive to have the best customer service possible and will continue to grow with our customers and their needs.
The Next Generation
At the time of Jerome’s passing in 1987, his wife Helen took over as President of the Bank. Jerome and Helen’s children, Steve Payne and Gerry Zacher, continued on with their parents’ vision, continuing to be here to serve and meet the needs of our customers and our community. Steve Payne grew up working in the bank and took over as President when Helen Payne passed away in 1997. Gerry Zacher was Chairman of the Bank Board for many years along with working in our insurance agency until her health prevented her from doing so. Gerry passed away in 2016. Gerry’s daughter Lisa Zacher is a current Board member at the Bank.
Steve Payne was President until his passing in 2021. Steve and his wife Susie, who also worked at the Bank, raised their three children, Tammy, Stephanie, and Russel, in Eagle Butte. They have all held or are holding positions at the bank. They all grew up working at the Bank, all starting out as tellers.
Tammy has worked in the Bank for many years and took over as President when Steve passed away. Stephanie passed away in 2020 and held the position of Human Resource Manager, Event Coordinator and Public Relations. Russ worked in many areas of the Bank also and is now the Vice President and Senior Loan Officer. Together, Tammy and Russ continue carrying on their grandfather’s vision of community first.
The Payne family still reside in Eagle Butte after 63 years. They continue to host and sponsor events in and around our community as is the tradition started back in 1960 by Jerome and Helen Payne. Four generations later, thanks to Jerome Payne, the Bank continues to preserve his lifelong vision.
