First Community Bank leader Jack Fields described Tim Crede as creative, artistic and competent. He liked Crede and his stonecutting business, which Crede started in the 1970s with a wheelbarrow and a shovel.
In fact, according to a national survey conducted this year by Ipsos Reid, on behalf of Christian Children's Fund of Canada (CCFC), over one third (approximately 35%) of the 527 Canadian mothers polled have received a terrible Mother's Day gift in their lifetime."Moms want thoughtful, meaningful gifts that come from the heart," says Mark Lukowski, Chief Executive Officer at CCFC. "A gift from a child that says, 'You helped me and now I want to help others' shows maturity, generosity, and thankfulness."The Credes calculated how much money the business would need to move at about $850,000 and went to the bank, which gave them the go- ahead, Edgar said. The bank starting loaning money, and Tim Crede started disassembling his machines, which require cement footings and water service for slurry systems to operate. But after lending about $250,000, the bank declined to loan any more money, Edgar said. About 80 percent of Crede's machines were "on the floor" in Lexington, with no footings or water service, when the money stopped, Edgar said.The move hadn't come up at the time Fields wrote his memo to Knehans, Edgar said. But if the bankers had told Crede what they said in the memo, he wouldn't have tried to move, Edgar said.While many mothers acknowledge that any gift from their children is appreciated, the survey also showed that forgetting to acknowledge Mother's Day or giving gifts that required little or no thought was the biggest blunder.
An alternative to trinkets and expensive items mothers won't use is to honour mothers with a donation to charity. In fact, eight out of ten (80%) mothers polled said they'd be 'pleased' if someone bought them a gift in their name from a charitable gift catalogue for Mother's Day."Jack Fields told [Crede] we want all your business....we'll be there for you to grow," Edgar said.The day after the visit, Fields sent an email to Knehans saying he should tell Crede to find a potential backup for his real estate loan, although Fields liked Crede and Knehans liked Crede's numbers."For Tim Crede -- stone is his life; machines are his life," Edgar said. "Had he known that, he wouldn't have had anything to do with it."Sullivan, of Stinson Morrison Hecker's Kansas City office, declined further comment. Through an assistant, the two executives' attorney, J.D. Baker, referred questions to Sullivan. Baker is an attorney with the Baker Law Firm in Osceola.Knehans said in a December deposition that Crede said he would pay for the setup of the Lexington property by selling the Oak Grove property, and that the bank would fund only "the initial needs" for the move. When the Oak Grove property didn't sell before the move, Knehans said he thought Crede would leave as much as he could at Oak Grove so he'd still have income.Crede and his wife, Deborah, co-owner of Missouri Ledge, sued the bank, Fields and Higginsville Branch Manager Don Knehans in 2009, claiming the bankers misrepresented their intentions. In the name of their company, the Credes filed for bankruptcy in 2010.In late spring 2008, Knehans told Crede it would be difficult for the bank to finance more of the move.For over 50 years, Christian Children's Fund of Canada has helped children and families of all faiths break the cycle of extreme poverty around the world."I don't think the land and buildings will appraise for 20% higher than $554,000 or $700,000," Fields wrote. "We do not want the equipment.Christian Children's Fund of Canada offers a wide variety of life changing gifts in their gift catalogue. With gifts starting at $15, grateful Canadian children can show their moms they care this year by purchasing gifts like vegetable seed kits, blankets, fruit trees, fuel efficient cooking stoves, and livestock - items essential to help a mother living in extreme poverty care for her own children."Sorry if we can't see the value of rocks and rock equipment. He is a good man!"In 2007, First Community took on Crede's company, Oak Grove- based Missouri Ledge, as a customer. The next year, the bank declined to loan Crede the money he needed to finish a move and expansion of Missouri Ledge. Crede visited Fields several times after the bank turned him down. Fields, the bank's chief executive, added passionate, vocal and hard-headed to his list of adjectives for the stonecutter who served high-end clients.Edgar called the email "pivotal" to the case.The bank's relationship with Missouri Ledge got its start when Fields and Knehans visited the company in October 2007 and discussed taking over real estate loans held by B & L Bank, which had told Crede that it wouldn't be able to provide financing for expansion of the business.
"The man never would have torn down the machines and changed his bank," Edgar said. "He would sit there and continue to operate."
Author: Heather Cole
