Heartland BanCorp promoted Benjamin Babcanec to chief operating officer. In his new role, Babcanec will oversee all operations across the bank within retail banking in Ohio and Kentucky, commercial banking, agribusiness banking, residential mortgage, treasury management and client services, public funds and loan syndication responsibilities.

“With over 18 years of experience with Heartland Bank, Ben is an excellent choice for this position,” G. Scott McComb, chairman, president and CEO of Heartland BanCorp., said. “He continues to be a creator and keeper of our company culture, having worked in increasingly progressive positions throughout his tenure with us, and will serve our bank well as we grow our community banking presence throughout Ohio and Kentucky.”

Babcanec began his career with Heartland in 2001 in retail banking and was eventually promoted to VP, head of retail in 2012 to oversee all of retail operations. In 2015, he was promoted to senior vice president.

In addition to Babcanec’s daily responsibilities and strategic visions, he is also a member of the bank’s quality, compliance, asset-liability, pricing, compliance and risk management committees, and serves as a voting member of Heartland Bank’s loan committee.