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CedarStone Bank president and CEO Bob McDonald, Paul Bauman Award of Excellence winner, flanked by CedarStone's John Sloan and former chamber chairman Carolyn Christoffersen.

On January 22, CedarStone Bank's John Sloan, now the active Chairman of the Mt Juliet Chamber of Commerce, and Carolyn Christoffersen, the former Chairman of the Chamber, announced the Chamber Choice Award winners at Covey Rise. Among them was CedarStone president and CEO Bob McDonald, who was honored with the Paul Bauman Award of Excellence. The award is given annually to a business person who, through his or her community and civic efforts, has made our community a better place to live and work. The award is named after Paul Bauman, an influential businessman who was instrumental the early success of the Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce.

Paul Bauman
Even though Paul passed way in 1996, he will always be remembered as one of Mt Juliet’s most respected and influential businessmen. Paul was a 1959 graduate of The Citadel (where he rose to Lt. Colonel), was President of John Deal Companies, a member of the Board of Trust at Cumberland University, a founding member of the Mt Juliet Breakfast Rotary Club, and was active with Camp Easter Seals and the United Way. He lived his life with a belief in giving back. His favorite quote was “to whom much is given, much is required.” In 1988, John Deal Companies was awarded the United Way Advocate Award, given to a company which best represents the United Way spirit of giving. Paul demanded little attention for his good deeds, preferring to serve quietly, out of the spotlight. He was a well-respected pillar of the community and is still remembered today for his noble character, strong ethics, dedication, and his passion for quietly serving others.

Given annually to a deserving individual, the Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce Paul Bauman Award of Excellence is the highest honor the Chamber can bestow upon on a business leader in our community. As this year’s recipient, CedarStone Bank founder and president, Bob McDonald continues to exemplify those important and time-tested business principles for which this award is named. As a respected member of our business community, Bob also quietly serves his community by sharing his time, talents, and treasures. Bob also encourages everyone on the CedarStone Bank team to do likewise.

Congratulations to Bob; you have the community's gratitude for you have done and continue to do each day to make our community such a special to live, work, shop, play, and pray.

• Providence did not exist
• My hair was brown
• The “worst economy since the Great Depression” was still two years away
• My son David was not quite one year old
• We had no Starbucks in Mt. Juliet
• I was about 30 days away from going to work at CedarStone Bank
• The new high school had not yet opened
• The font size on my speech was a lot smaller
• The Music City Star was not yet operational
• The Titans had a good football team
• The City of Mt. Juliet consisted of roughly 15,000 residents
• Many of you were not here

Each one of those folks was attracted to Mt. Juliet because of the work done by those of you who didn’t stand up…those who laid the groundwork for the explosive growth we are now experiencing. The explosive growth that occurred, by the way, during the worst economy since the Great Depression. And it’s the contributions of everyone in this room that make Mt. Juliet what it is…a friendly, compassionate, progressive city of over 25,000 people.  

• By advocating for the businesses – large and small – who call Mt. Juliet home.
• By connecting Chamber members and citizens with the resources they need to be successful.
• By promoting Chamber members in the community.
• And by supporting Chamber members with the information they need to start, grow, and operate their businesses.

Mt. Juliet Branch Manager Beth Schultze and Girl Scout Troup 1200

Girl Scout Troop 1200 recently visited CedarStone's Mt. Juliet branch to learn about money and banking. The girls learned how to write up a deposit slip, make a deposit, and get a receipt. They got to see behind teller row, where we showed them how money is stored securely, organized, and counted. Branch manager Beth Schultze talked to the girls about the importance of having a bank account. She also showed the girls how machines can detect counterfeit money mixed in with real bills.

CedarStone Bank Customer Service Representative Addison Rogers works with the scouts on banking documents. 

The Hermitage, home of President Andrew Jackson, has an exciting new exhibit, "Andrew Jackson: Born for a Storm" and CedarStone Bank is proud to be involved with its introduction. Opening January 8, the exhibit is part of the Bicentennial celebration of the Battle of New Orleans. This state-of-the-art, $1.1 million exhibit brings the rich story of Andrew Jackson’s meteoric rise, from his humble beginnings to his presidency, through bold visuals and a series of interactive displays. The exhibit focuses on the three pivotal stages of Jackson’s astonishing life: his modest origins as an orphan, his resiliency as a General and his visionary leadership as a President.

On Thursday, January 8, The Hermitage is offering free admission to the exhibit. There will be a wreath-laying ceremony honoring Andrew Jackson and his army at 11:00 am, the 101st Airborne Division Dixieland Band will perform, as well as other family-oriented activities to learn more about President Jackson and his military campaigns. Reserve free tickets here.

You may also attend a private reception at the exhibit, hosted by CedarStone Bank president Bob McDonald and his wife, Susan, on Thursday, January 15. For more information, please call Bob at (615) 547-5581.

Said McDonald of the exhibit, "Like Mount Vernon and Monticello, The Hermitage is a national treasure. Andrew Jackson's presidency came at a pivotal time for a young America. We are developing new ways to explore his life and presidency." Bob is a member of the board of the Andrew Jackson Foundation (formerly the Ladies' Hermitage Association), along with nationally known figures like National Public Radio journalist Mara Liasson and two Pulitzer Prize winners, historian Joe Meacham and Charles Overby, former CEO of the Freedom Forum and the Newseum.

[ back to the CedarStone Bank photo gallery ]

What better way is there to bring together family, friends and community than a good, ole-fashioned Christmas parade? There are three coming right up and we hope to see you there:

Lebanon Christmas Parade: "A Country Christmas"
Sunday, December 7 at 2:00 pm

Mount Juliet Christmas Parade: "A Frozen Christmas"
Saturday, December 6 at 11:00 am

Donelson Christmas Parade: "30 Years of American Christmas Traditions"
Saturday, December 6 at 2:00 pm

Come on out, bring the family and friends, and come to see us at CedarStone Bank soon.

Lots of people will be doing their holiday shopping online, which creates opportunities for phishing, malware, and scams. But there are things you can do to make your online shopping more secure.

Be careful about emails. Some malicious activity comes in the form of holiday greetings. Only open emails from people and companies you know. Even then, it is best not to click on web links inside emails; go out to your browser and access the website there. If an email doesn’t look completely legitimate, even a personal one, check it out with the sender first.

Know your charities. Bad guys will take advantage of your generosity with appeals that pull on the heartstrings. If you see a charity you want to donate to, they will take it if you visit their website directly or send them a check.

Secure your system. Think of your computer, tablet or phone as a house: don’t leave the door unlocked. Here are some security issues you will want to consider:

•  Is your wi-fi connection password-protected?
•  Do you have a good antivirus program? How about malware detector? Ad and pop-up blockers?
•  Is your operating system and all your software updated/patched? This includes your browser, browser plug-ins, and any external programs you may use.
•  Did you know that attachments can carry viruses?

Only use secure sites. Even if your system is relatively secure—no system is perfect—websites you visit may not be. Sites whose web addresses begin with https (rather than http) are more secure. Take any warnings about security certificates seriously.

Monitor your accounts. Look at your credit card and checking accounts online very often. If you see suspicious activity, report it immediately.

Security risks may also come to you in the form of fake ads, messages inside of social media programs, and phone calls.

Hackers and online thieves are very good at what they do. A little extra care could save you time, money, and hassle.

More information is at the website for the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team. For users of mobile devices, additional precautions are recommended.

CedarStone President Bob McDonald with Justin Duncan, Willie McDonald, and CedarStone EVP Hank Stuart

All seniors in Metro Nashville public schools  participate in a "capstone" experience. A capstone experience is a project that allows students to learn about themselves by exploring a topic of interest, specialization, community need, or career choice. According to the Tennessee graduation requirements, all students must complete a capstone experience which may include a senior project, virtual enterprise, internship, externship, work-based learning, service learning, and community service.

Justin Duncan, a senior at McGavock High School, has chosen to create his "capstone" experience at CedarStone Bank. He will be spending at least 40 hours with us, documenting his experience in a portfolio of his research, observations, and new skills. Through his English class, Justin will be writing a 2,300-word research paper

Here's some more about the Metro capstone program:

If you know of other Metro seniors who would like to share their capstone experiences, please comment below.

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If you've logged in to Online Banking for your business account in the last few days, you may have noticed that it looks a little different. We're making some upgrades to the Online Banking experience for business customers to make it easier to transfer funds, view transactions, and look up check images. 

While these improvements specifically affect Online Banking for business customers, you can also expect to see some upgrades on the personal side of Online Banking and other system enhancements in the coming weeks and months. We want to make your banking simple, and simply better.

Here's what some of our business customers say about banking with CedarStone.

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Wilson County has formally dedicated a memorial to all those who serve, at the new Veterans Park next to the Wilson County courthouse in Lebanon. CedarStone's John Bryan, chairman of the board of the Lebanon-Wilson County Chamber of Commerce, was present at the dedication. "It's great to see the community coming together to honor the men and women who serve in the armed forces of this country," said Bryan. "Freedom comes at a price, and we need to do all we can to pay tribute to those who secure our nation."

The park, which was over two years in the making, features a granite wall with the names of those from the county who gave their lives in service to the country, its five parts representing the five branches of the military. Read more about the park at The Lebanon Democrat.

Veterans Day 2014 

The parade in Lebanon starts at 10:25 on Main Street, with a ceremony at the new Veterans Park at 11:00;