Business View Magazine | April/May 2022

171 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 4 A t Tioga State Bank, it’s not the size of their assets, but the community-focused heart at the center of their operations that makes for their success. “I typically don’t look at size goals,” says Robert “Bob” Fisher, Tioga’s President and CEO. “I don’t want to say I want to be a billion dollar bank. Instead, I want to continue to be the best bank by providing the best service to our customers, building relationships and being financially successful.” Founded as Farmers and Merchants Bank of Spencer in 1884 by Fisher’s great-great- grandfather, M.D. Fisher, Tioga State Bank has made it its mission to support the financial needs of families and businesses in the Southern Tier of New York and Northern Pennsylvania. With 11 branches over four counties and more than $570 million in assets, the bank has a community first attitude and aims to provide high quality services, while building personal relationships with its customers. Even when COVID-19 hit, Tioga State Bank was working hard day and night to ensure their customers were well-served. Fisher recalls, “I think we all knew that small business was going to be adversely affected when we shut down the economy. At our bank, I knew that we were going to be there to help our small business customers even before I knew the details of what PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) was. I didn’t know interest rates, I didn’t know the terms, but I knew that we were going to be there to help our small business customers get through this because somebody had to step up.” While they have always been ahead of the Tioga State Ba TSB Chief Lending Officer, George Bowen and business banking customer from Peak Performance Physical Therapy