Through our collaboration with other Farm Credit associations, our Information Technology team provides products and services to other associations across the country. Read below for more information on two of the individuals working to bring GreenStone expertise to others.
Matt Poland, East Lansing, MI
VP of Application Services
14 years of service
Describe how your role carries out the GreenStone mission of supporting rural communities and agriculture:
I lead several information technology teams responsible for providing custom-built and purchased software systems for both customer and staff utilization. I am excited when we have the opportunity to improve a customer’s experience through technology and help GreenStone be a responsible provider of financial services through operational efficiencies.
What role do you play in GreenStone’s efforts to work with other associations?
The CentRic Technology Collaboration is a formal partnership between nine Farm Credit associations. We jointly deliver core technology systems through GreenStone as the facilitating organization. That means we’ve created a software-delivery competency center in East Lansing at an economy of scale larger than any one of us could produce individually. In this I have been privileged to serve as a technology leader and expert for our collaboration for the entirety of my career.
What do you enjoy most about your role at GreenStone?
There’s a palpable sense that we’re all in this together. The Farm Credit System is uniquely strong because we have other associations we are not in direct competition with. I greatly enjoy the wealth of wisdom and expertise freely shared across the System. I can call up a peer in a similar role across the country and openly exchange ideas on how to solve problems we commonly face. We truly are better together!
What changes have been incorporated in your role to meet evolving customer needs?
Vigilance and adaptability is crucial. I have observed a slow and steady increase in customer expectations for eCommerce capabilities. Customers are expecting more self-service, online platforms and mobile access. Over the years we’ve needed to evolve to provide these capabilities. We’ve targeted newer skills with the talent we hire and provide different training opportunities than we have before. Similarly, it has impacted how we structure our teams, prioritize projects, and consult with stakeholders. We can never stay complacent with how we’ve operated in the past.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
When I’m not enjoying quality time with my family, I competitively shoot pool in leagues, tournaments or simply with friends. You can play a single game or you can immerse yourself in it for hours and anybody can play. For me, playing has been a family tradition that I’ve enjoyed for over 20 years.
Brett Dutcher, East Lansing, MI
Senior Information
Technology Manager
4 years of service
What role do you play in GreenStone’s efforts to work with other associations?
My team analyzes and develops the system enhancements for the internal software our CentRic Technology Collaboration (CTC) uses to process new loans and service existing loans. We gain efficiency by collaborating on the technology we use, but we also understand that each association in our collaboration has different needs, which are derived from their board of directors, customers and agricultural markets.
What do you enjoy most about your role at GreenStone?
I love problem solving. All problems are like a puzzle, and I enjoy working with a group of people to solve these problems together with one common goal. We want to make sure we give our internal customers an efficient process to deliver lending and a variety of services to our rural communities.
What changes have been incorporated in your role to meet evolving customer needs?
Continuous Delivery. This means we have had to become more responsive and flexible in order to implement requested changes faster. For example, our staff will share ideas for enhancements or changes to a current process in order to meet the needs of their customers, and my role has had to adapt in order to deliver those changes faster than we were able to previously.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I enjoy spending time with my family, playing golf and soccer, and watching a lot of different sporting events.
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