Bank History
Growth. Tradition. Service.
Great Plains State Bank first opened its doors January 29, 1921 in Petersburg, NE as Petersburg State Bank. Frank Jouvenat was the lead founder and President of the bank. Petersburg State Bank was opened in response to Farmers State Bank buying Bank of Petersburg where Frank formally worked along with some others.
The bank continued to run until March 11, 1933 when all banks were closed. On the morning of March 15, 1933 Petersburg State Bank received a telegram authorizing them to reopen; relieved, along with the community, they had weathered the Great Depression and droughts.
The next almost 80 years brought much change and growth to both Petersburg State Bank and the Petersburg community. One constant during this time was the bank’s dedication to its customers and the community it served.
In 2015, a group approached Petersburg State Bank about expansion possibilities. In August of 2015, an agreement was signed to initiate the change of control. In September of 2015 Petersburg State Bank officially changed its name to Great Plains State Bank (GPS Bank) and on January 4, 2016 the change of control was complete.
To further serve clients across Central Nebraska, Great Plains State Bank opened two additional full-service Nebraska locations in 2016; Columbus opened on March 21st and O’Neill opened on September 19th.
Since then, the bank has experienced significant growth as well as expansion into Omaha. Today, the bank, under the leadership of CEO Rick Chochon, employs over 40 employee-shareholders in four locations and has grown to almost $357 million in assets.
While a lot has changed over the past almost 100 years, the dedication to our communities and our customers has remained a constant. We look forward to the opportunity to continue to meet the banking needs of our communities and are committed to being active community citizens.