I had first heard about High Country Bank through a friend and professor at Appalachian State University. He explained that High Country Bank was providing loans to people who were interested in retro-fitting their homes with solar water heating systems and photo voltaic panels. I knew at that point that I had found some good neighbors who cared about our pristine environment, here in the Blue Ridge High Country.
When it came time for me to look for financing for our project, I had forgotten my earlier discovery and began contacting banks in the area. To my dismay, as I explained the scope of our project and the funding required, each of them had list of reasons they could not be involved or had to send the information to committee which ultimately ended in rejection. Most had no clue what an 'environmentally friendly house' was even though they gave ecological issues a little lip service. They thought that building an Eco-home was a risky venture evan as I explained the home was being built in excess of all required building codes.
It was about this time that I stumbled into Bob Furches office in Jefferson. Bob is a Vice President and City Executive of Jefferson and Ashe County for the bank. I explained our plans and he responded immediately with 'We can do that for you!' I have to admit, I did not believe him. It was not until three months later that I went back and talked with him again, and he reaffirmed his promise, that I truly understood he meant what he said and he was there to help us. In fact he pulled out the application and helped me fill it in, on the spot.
To make a long story short, Bob and High Country Bank have worked with us hand in hand over the last two years providing all of our funding, as necessary. In fact, I even worked out an arrangement to email my requests for deposits into our construction account. That saved me the time to stop in and/or trying to remember to make a phone call during the day when I was busy with construction
I have to tell you that during our time working together, I have discovered a family of people who are good neighbors, cheerful, helpful, friendly, and willing to do whatever they can to be of service. It reminds me of the bankers I worked with back in the 1960s. Not only were they interested in helping us, but turned out that they also supported our effort to build a model Eco-home. Some of the staff even belonged to local environmental groups. In addition to Bob's support, Camillia Tibbs, Roy Bingley, Geoff Ferland, and David Harmon were all enthusiastic about being part of our project. Not only did we feel good about doing things the right way, but we felt we were supported by a whole staff who loved our mountains the way we do. It was refreshing to say the least.
I would suggest that if you live in our area, you not waste time searching as I had. Go right to the people that care and are interested in preserving our land for future generations. These are good people and good neighbors. Visit our sponsor:
