About this podcast
Plugged In brings you raw, honest takes on all things in the banking industry. That means you aren’t going to get some buzzword-filled, cliche podcast – you’re getting an unfiltered look into topics in the financial world no one else is talking about. Your hosts, Al Dominick and Steve Williams, will talk to top players in the industry about what matters now, and what will shape the future.
To groove along with Al and Steve's song references in each episode, check out the official Plugged In Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Z7NWPIQuaXQlfHxLWJb3g?si=o552CzjwTr6R4mx13NmOBA
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Episodes
The newest 20 of 50 episodes
- Starting a Bank in the Age of AI · 25 min · Season 1 Episode 50We’re at a wake-up moment. In ten years, banking has changed more than it did in the century before. So, Al and Steve pose a question: If you created a bank from scratch in 2026…
- The Long Game (with Bourbon on the Side) // CEO Ja Hillebrand · 26 min · Season 1 Episode 49Banking keeps getting easier and faster. But according to Stock Yards Bank & Trust Chairman and CEO Ja Hillebrand, none of these technology upgrades can replace relationships. As…
- Not Your Typical Q1 Outlook · 21 min · Season 1 Episode 48They’re back. Al and Steve kick off the year by discussing the biggest forces shaping banking right now, including something particularly challenging: growth. From how banks are…
- Don’t Call It a Comeback w/ Jim Reuter · 28 min · Season 1 Episode 47What inspires a seasoned bank CEO to come out of retirement? As Jim Reuter, CEO and president of First Interstate Bank, tells Al and Steve on the show: “There’s a saying . …that…
- The Beat Goes On in Banking w/ Archie Brown · 24 min · Season 1 Episode 46Regional banks don’t often get compared to pop music, but maybe they should. On the show today, First Financial Bank President and CEO Archie Brown explains why great banks…
- A.I. Promises, Banking Realities, and a Few Hidden Gems · 20 min · Season 1 Episode 45Today on the show, Al and Steve reunite in the Arizona desert to unpack the themes they have been hearing at banking conferences and boardroom meetings nationwide. Two big…
- “Brace” Yourself for the Shenanigans in Banking · 21 min · Season 1 Episode 44Deal-making is heating up. On the show today: Al and Steve sit down with Mike Maddox, CEO and president of the newly expanded $20B-asset Busey Bank, which merged with CrossFirst…
- Ep 43: Cruel Summer: Stablecoins, GenAI, M&A · 17 min · Season 1 Episode 43Banking is only getting hotter. On the show today, Al and Steve break down midyear trends, from GenAI's impact on creativity (it isn’t good) to stablecoins and a potential…
- Ep 42: The Balance Sheet Restructure That Transformed the Bank // CEO Chip Reeves · 26 min · Season 1 Episode 42Today on the show, Al and Steve catch up with Chip Reeves, CEO of MidWestOne Bank, to get the inside story into how the Midwestern bank managed to not lose a single top client…
- Ep 41: Numbers Don't Lie - How This $5.5B Bank in Kansas Was Built // CEO Brad Elliott · 22 min · Season 1 Episode 41On the show today: Al and Steve speak with Brad Elliott, founder, chairman and CEO of Equity Bank, about building a $5.5 billion institution through an aggressive M&A strategy…
- Ep 40: Embracing Entrepreneurship in a Disruptive Market · 26 min · Season 1 Episode 40Generative A.I. is an intervention moment for the financial services industry. Today on the show, Al and Steve chat about A.I. playbooks and what banks are doing with GenAI right…
- Ep 39: "I'm An Entrepreneur. Just In A Banker's Body" // Malcolm Holland · 30 min · Season 1 Episode 39Malcolm Holland, Chariman of the Board, CEO and President of Veritex Community Bank, sees himself as a banker who embraces opportunities. On today's show, Al and Steve chat with…
- Ep 38: Banking in 2025: "Only the Entrepreneurs Will Get Growth" · 15 min · Season 1 Episode 38They’re back. In Arizona. In advance of the upcoming Acquire or Be Acquired conference, Al and Steve chat about trends that will matter to the C-Suite this year, including: M&A…
- Ep 37: 2024 In Review: Banking's Big Moves · 1 h 13 min · Season 1 Episode 37In this final episode of the Plugged In Series for 2024, Steve and Al reflect on the year's significant events and trends in the banking industry, including a resurgence in…
- Ep 36: The Biggest Technologies Shaping Banking Right Now // Hans Morris · 32 min · Season 1 Episode 36Hans Morris is used to following fintech trends. He’s a managing partner at Nyca Partners, a fintech venture capital firm in New York and San Francisco, and the chairman of the…
- Ep 35: On Growing a California Bank Year After Year // CEO Dave Brager · 28 min · Season 1 Episode 35Citizens Business Bank has made money in every single quarter of every single year for more than 47 years. Today on the show, Al and Steve talk to Dave Brager, CEO of Citizens…
- Ep 34: Banking Is Gonna Make You Sweat · 22 min · Season 1 Episode 34Today on the show, Steve quizzes Al on the hottest topics discussed at the recent Association for Financial Technology Fall Summit held in Palm Springs. Among them: the Federal…
- Ep 33: Lake City's Secret Sauce // CEO David Findlay · 25 min · Season 1 Episode 33Lake City Bank has managed to grow its book value per share even amid some of the thorniest industry challenges. David Findlay, Chairman and CEO of Lake City Bank, talks to Al…
- Ep 32: How This 177-Year-Old Bank Innovates // Nitin Mhatre · 30 min · Season 1 Episode 32It’s action packed in banking right now as regulatory uncertainty mounts with the looming presidential election. Today on the show, Al and Steve pick the brain of Nitin Mhatre…
- Ep 31: The Recipe for Growing a Bank in 2024 with WesBanco’s Jeff Jackson · 28 min · Season 1 Episode 31As Jeff Jackson, the CEO of WesBanco, sees it, M&A activity can only go up. In this episode, Al and Steve chat with Jeff about why that is and what is at stake for community…
