Banking on You Featuring First Interstate Bank

Company: First Interstate Bank

“If you’re part of a place, take care of it,” said Homer Scott, Sr., Founder, First Interstate BancSystem, Inc.

First Interstate continues to live by those words today, through its commitment to forging lasting and genuine partnerships with clients as well as local nonprofits. As a community bank, First Interstate emphasizes the importance of its employees being active members of their communities. This involvement helps build stronger relationships and reinforces the bank's mission to be more than just a financial institution.

In 2023, Brian Brown, First Interstate Bank’s Billings, Montana Market President, saw an opportunity to invest in the South Side of Billings. He channeled his passion for local trails and parks into an initiative to secure government funding for local recreation with a dedicated bond measure. Unfortunately, the bond measure did not pass, forcing Brian to look for other options. 

Brian got a call from the leadership team at Signal Peak Energy, a coal mining company based in Roundup, Montana, who shared his vision and were inspired by his passion for the project. Together, Brian and the Signal Peak Energy team decided to take matters into their own hands. They worked to gather members of the public, nonprofit organizations, local businesses, and city council members to discuss their own path forward and secure funding without relying on taxpayers.

First Interstate Bank, Signal Peak Energy, and the local community came together with an idea for a project that would transform Billings with a state-of the-art community ice rink. They landed on Amend Park as an ideal location, close to hotels, restaurants, and retail. After Signal Peak Energy committed $6 million to get the project off the ground, others followed; the city of Billings pledged parking, land, infrastructure, and utilities to support the project, and the Yellowstone Ice Foundation promised to match the $6 million donation through fundraising, bringing the total project cost to $12 to $15 million. Private donors and First Interstate Bank also continue to contribute to the project.

Construction is currently underway after a groundbreaking ceremony in May 2025, attended by Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, who lauded the economic benefits of the project. Billings Chamber of Commerce CEO John Brewer shared that the facility is expected to generate more than 10,000 hotel room nights annually and contribute over $121 million in total economic impact during the next 30 years, proof that when a community comes together, remarkable things happen. After experiencing First Interstate Bank’s passion for local community firsthand, Signal Peak Energy decided to become a banking client across deposits, commercial loans, Credit Cards, Wealth Management, and Treasury Management services.

First Interstate Bank also maintains strong connections with its local communities through a program called Believe in Local, where its employees nominate local nonprofit organizations to receive financial grants. The bank recently pledged 40 grants to local organizations through the program, totaling $1,000,000. Encouraging employees to choose which nonprofits receive the grants allows First Interstate to ‘put their money where their mouth is’ while ensuring its employees make a direct impact where it is most important to them.

Through initiatives like the Amend Park ice rink and the Believe in Local program, First Interstate Bank exemplifies the profound impact a committed community bank can have on its surroundings. By fostering genuine partnerships and investing in the future of the communities it serves, First Interstate Bank continues to build on its founder Homer Scott, Sr.’s legacy of care, support, and transformative change.