Online Banking
Business Partner
Natural Stone, Inc.
Since 1977, Jim Robinson has been following his vision, making beautiful homes and fixtures as an artisan and craftsman of natural materials. Early in his professional life as a home-builder and finishing carpenter, Jim developed an enduring commitment to quality work and the attention to detail that would later become the foundation of the business he would create in Spearfish, South Dakota.
In 1996, Jim brought his wife and family to the Black Hills and built a home. Shortly after installing granite countertops in his own home, he decided to focus his professional vision and start a company designing, crafting, and installing custom stonework for area homes and businesses. Natural Stone, Inc. soon became a reality, and Jim began to make a name for himself locally, as his inherent dedication to quality and attention to detail were recognized by his customers.
Over the next ten years as a small business owner, Jim never stopped dreaming, always fine-tuning his vision for Natural Stone, Inc., and revising plans to build a facility where he could properly design, craft, and finish the stonework that had become his professional passion. But to take the next step and make that vision a reality, Jim needed a business partner, the right business partner.
In his search for a financial institution to back his dream, Jim encountered number of frustrations with potential partners that seemed capable enough, but didn’t quite understand Jim’s long-cultivated vision for Natural Stone, Inc. He listened patiently to their suggestions and attempts to redirect his vision, but like any artisan, Jim remained committed to his original, carefully honed idea. He was intent on constructing the facility he had long envisioned. Jim needed a backer willing to share potential risks and rewards, but first he needed a partner willing to share his dream.
In 2004, Tom Deis of Pioneer Bank & Trust in Spearfish had heard through his involvement with economic development in Spearfish about Jim’s goal, and he came to talk with him. “I had met with a number of backers before commencing this project and none of them really seemed to catch the vision I had for what I wanted to accomplish until I met with Tom Deis. He certainly did,” Jim remembers. “He didn’t suggest I lease a building or buy one. He didn’t try to mold my vision. He just listened.”
And Tom heard what Jim really wanted, to raise the bar of expectation in his chosen profession, to create a facility in the area capable of designing and crafting truly exceptional stonework. What Tom heard in Jim’s vision are the very qualities that set Pioneer Bank & Trust apart--the depth of experience and attention to detail, the standard of excellence applied to even the smallest decisions and the desire to enrich the local community by raising the bar of expectation.
From that initial meeting, a partnership was born that flourishes to this day. The going hasn’t always been easy in the economic turmoil of recent years. “There are cloudy days and there are sunny days, and there are tough times in business and there are good times in business, and Pioneer Bank & Trust will roll with the punches with you. They are a good partner when the times are hard. In a down economy, Pioneer Bank & Trust is the bank you want to have on your side.”
