BELOIT — After an impressive 47-year career at First National Bank and Trust (FNBT), Diane Martin, Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager of the Argyle branch has announced plans to retire at the end of the year.

Diane began her career in 1974 at State Bank of Argyle, which became Amcore Bank in 1997, before it was acquired by FNBT in 2009. During her time at the bank, she has held several positions including teller, bookkeeping, reporting, and Board of Directors secretary before becoming Assistant Vice President Branch Manager. 

Her favorite aspect of the job is the people. Working alongside the customers and her coworkers throughout the years has always been a joy. 

“Over the years, you see people go through hard times, you see them grow and their families grow, and it becomes a friendship,” she said.

Some advice Diane would like to give to her employee family is just to listen. “You can learn a lot from listening and giving your customers your undivided attention. It goes a long way.”

In retirement, Diane will continue to live in Argyle. She hopes to travel and pick up golf again, spend time with family watching her grandchildren play, and go for rides with her husband in their classic cars. 

She loved getting to know her customer family and employee family across different departments. “I’ve met a lot of great people and have enjoyed working for FNBT,” she said.

An open house reception honoring Diane was scheduled at FNBT’s Argyle bank branch located at 321 E Milwaukee St in Argyle on Friday, Dec. 17.