The Whitaker Bank Corporation of Kentucky is a 30-year old family-owned and operated organization dedicated to providing exceptional banking and experiences to fellow Kentuckians. Remaining loyal to its long-standing customers, Whitaker Bank has turned to Windstream Communications for all of its telecommunications solutions in helping the company remain “Uniquely Kentucky.”

1. CASE STUDY
Whitaker Bank
Introduction
The Whitaker Bank Corporation of Kentucky is a 30-year old family-owned and operated organization
dedicated to providing exceptional banking and experiences to fellow Kentuckians. Remaining loyal to
its long-standing customers, Whitaker Bank has turned to Windstream Communications for all of its
telecommunications solutions in helping the company remain “Uniquely Kentucky.”
Background
Since its inception in September 1978, Whitaker Bank has expanded from three locations within three
counties and total assets of $59 million to 56 locations within 17 counties and combined total assets of
$1.8 billion.
Since Whitaker Bank’s establishment in 1978, Windstream has been a key business partner in
providing sophisticated technology solutions to accommodate Whitaker Bank’s continuous growth and
development.
Solutions
During the early years, phone lines were the main form of communication with customers, employees
and other businesses. In 1993, Whitaker Bank consolidated all of its back office systems into a single
main operations center to increase effectiveness and efficiency. As technologies advanced, more
bandwidth was required with more data being pushed over longer distances. Windstream proved to be
a vital asset in the realm of telephone and Internet banking, as well as providing additional phone and
data lines to keep Whitaker Bank consistent with the new technology, but still allowing the company to
remain captive within a local Kentucky audience.
“One of our biggest challenges is that we have to be both the community bank and the big bank with all
the new products and services,” emphasizes Tom Hinkebein, Whitaker Bank’s chief operating officer.
“That’s how Windstream helps us compete. You’ve got to have the latest and greatest with that local
touch.”
In 1995, Windstream installed Whitaker Bank’s first data network to connect all bank locations together.
Three years ago, Windstream upgraded that network to an IP/ VPN (Internet Protocol/Virtual Private
Network) over MPLS network, providing higher, more efficient bandwidth to all Whitaker Bank locations.
MPLS is a private network that uses a shared core infrastructure to connect remote sites or users

2. CASE STUDY
together. Instead of using a dedicated, realworld connection, such as leased line, MPLS uses “virtual”
connections routed through Windstream’s network from a particular company’s private network to the
remote site or employee. MPLS allows for a faster and more secure method of transmitting data
between Whitaker’s branches.
Results
With a competition consisting of dominant international bank organizations, Whitaker Bank aims to
provide customers with the latest products and services, while still maintaining their local roots.
Whitaker Bank executives credit Windstream with helping to not only sustain a level of efficiency over
time, but also allowing them to uphold long-standing customer relationships.
“At the end of the day, people do business with people,” said Elmer Keith Whitaker, executive vice
president and chief marketing officer, Whitaker Bank Corporation of Kentucky. “I commend the key
people at Windstream that have stayed in place over all these years and that cannot be understated.
It’s all about relationships and we appreciate the very long-standing and solid relationships we have
with our Windstream account executives.”
In 30 years, Whitaker Bank Corporation has gone from three small banks to more than 50 branches.
Just as trust and relationships are important to Kentuckians, such is the longevity of the relationship
between Whitaker Bank and Windstream.
If you are interested in implementing similar technologies, please call Windstream at 1-800-974-1676 or
speak to your current Windstream account manager to learn more.