Jim Brown, President of The Bank of Bennington, announced the promotion of Scott Dikeman to Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending. Dikeman, who joined the bank in 2018, will take over for retiring Senior Vice President David Bardin. David has enjoyed a storied banking career in Southern Vermont, where his name is synonymous with business banking itself.
Bardin noted “I have had the great pleasure of working with so many of the businesses in our wonderful region, from new startups to those with 2nd and 3rd generations now in charge. It has been an honor and a privilege to work with all and to be part of The Bank of Bennington. The bank has always shared my belief that the health of communities is deemed most important. I will certainly miss it”.
President Jim Brown said, “I wish David well in his retirement. He has been a positive and friendly force for us and the business community. I am however very pleased to have Scott take the lead for commercial lending. His experience and knowledge run deep. Having worked side by side with Dave for the past 2 ½ years, the transition will be seamless. 2020 has been very challenging for all and Scott took the lead on much of the disaster relief loan programs. With Scott covering the Manchester and Rutland communities and Kelley Legacy overseeing the Bennington region, we have a very solid commercial banking team.”
Dikeman began his banking career in 1985 at the Marble Bank in Rutland. He continued in banking as a commercial lender for 30 years, working at Factory Point Bank and Merchants Bank. In 2009, he joined Castleton State College, now Castleton University, as a senior administrator, eventually becoming Dean of Administration. In April 2018, Dikeman joined The Bank of Bennington a Vice President in the Commercial Lending department.
He serves on the board at Housing Trust of Rutland County and the finance committee at Rutland Economic Development Corp. He lives in Rutland with his wife Jackie and children Jonathan and Logan.
The Bank of Bennington is a mutual bank with a deep commitment to the area. It is the only bank headquartered in Bennington County, with branches in Bennington, Arlington, Manchester, and Rutland.