Built by Business People for Business People
In the 1990s, community banking was changing.
New federal laws made it easier for big banks to centralize decision making, moving it far from the communities of the local banks they absorbed.
For many local commercial bankers, this jeopardized the level of service they were able to offer their clients.
At that time, three entrepreneurial business bankers in suburban Chicago chose a different path. Charie Zanck, Andy Hartlieb, and Rick Francois shared a vision to create a bank centered on local decision making and highly personalized service.
They wanted the freedom to continue delivering the things they knew their business clients wanted: easy access to real solutions and the ability to lean into long-term relationships with their commercial bankers.
Building a Bank
They knew they couldn’t do this alone. So they approached local businessowner Chuck Ruth, a successful highway and concrete contractor based in Woodstock, Illinois. Together, they raised capital from local friends and businesses to share ownership of the bank.
The founding organizers represented the economy of McHenry County:
- Construction and infrastructure: Frank Gluth of Gluth Bros. Construction, Chuck Ruth of Alliance Contractors, and Rich O'Connell of Woodstock/Crystal Lake Ready Mix.
- Agriculture and agribusiness: Ann Hughes of Hughes Hybrids and Hughes Seed Farms.
- Professional services: Hank Fleming in accounting, Jim Kiss in law, John Smith in engineering, and Mitch Weisz in law.
- Healthcare: Dr. Steve Rochell, an orthopedic surgeon.
- Food manufacturing and operations: John Lillie, a former Oscar Mayer Foods vice president and general manager of Claussen Pickle Co.
- Real estate and local development: Bill Hansen and Mitch Weisz, local real estate investors and property developers.
Breaking Records
American Community Bank’s application was submitted to the Illinois State Banking Commissioner and the FDIC on Sept. 10, 1999, with a community-sourced stock offering planned for December 1999 and an expected opening in February of 2000.
The initial stock offering closed Jan. 7, 2000, accepting subscriptions from more than 300 local shareholders for 955,119 shares totaling $19,102,380.
This was the highest initial capital raise ever for an Illinois-state-chartered financial institution, by more than 70 percent.
The bank received its charter on March 13 and opened for business the next day at a small building on Route 47 in Woodstock.
In its first year, the bank exceeded $100 million in assets, with more growth to come.
Expanding Beyond Woodstock
It wasn’t long before this de novo bank started to grow. After building their flagship location on Lake Avenue in Woodstock in 2002, they started planting locations in other parts of McHenry County:
- 2004: The McHenry office opened, extending the relationship-banking model into another growing part of McHenry County.
- 2005: ACBT opened its Crystal Lake office at Main Street and Congress Parkway, establishing a presence in one of the county's fastest-growing commercial markets.
- 2008: The Huntley location opened along Route 47 as the community's residential and commercial development accelerated.
Beyond McHenry County
As clients expanded throughout Chicagoland, ACBT expanded with them.
Commercial banking teams and lending offices were established in Arlington Heights (2020), Oak Brook Terrace (2023), and Geneva (2025), allowing ACBT to serve businesses throughout the metropolitan area while maintaining local decision-making and relationship banking.
ACBT now serves clients throughout Chicagoland while remaining independently owned and focused on privately held businesses, family-owned companies, investors, and their families.
The bank is managed conservatively and built for the long haul, with a strong balance sheet, ample liquidity, and an experienced management team.
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What Makes ACBT Different
- Local decision-making and an entrepreneurial mindset.
- Experienced bankers who have spent their careers serving private businesses.
- Long-term relationships with bankers, clients, and our community.
- Responsiveness, speed, and a willingness to find solutions.
- Independently owned, allowing us to focus on the long-term.
- A focus on what's right for clients, not on what's easiest for a distant corporate office.
Want to help us continue writing this story?
Contact us today or reach out to one of our Commercial or Relationship bankers.