Third-generation of Costellos joins local bank
Staff writer
Chris Costello always knew that his daughter Emily had a knack for banking, so he wasn’t surprised that she chose it as a career.
Emily recently accepted a job as lending officer at Tampa State Bank, becoming the third generation Costello to be involved in the bank.
The family has owned the bank since her grandparents, Edward and Mary, purchased it in 1972. Edward had been general manager of the bank for 19 years before that.
Emily’s father, Chris Costello, has been president of the bank since 1988. Her aunt, Mickey Lundy, is vice president. They established a branch bank in Marion in 1998.
Emily and her husband, Dax Kannady, were married in December 2015 and returned to Marion last summer after 12 years in Montana.
Kannady said she never felt pressured to get involved in banking, but she observed her father and saw that he was happy and felt rewarded in his career as a banker.
“I saw it as something to aspire to,” she said.
She was in high school when her father gave her the job of shredding papers for three hours every Saturday at Tampa. She advanced to doing bookkeeping work after school, on Saturdays, and during holiday breaks.
After high school graduation in 2000, she attended Emporia State University and got a part-time job as a teller in a large bank.
After obtaining a degree in business, she decided it was time to experience life outside of Kansas. She settled in Missoula, Montana and worked as a lending officer at a local bank for three years.
She jumped at the chance to join a start-up community bank with one location and 15 employees, a bank size with which she was comfortable.
She had met Dax Kannady, a 1996 Marion High School graduate, through mutual friends, and he had joined her in Montana.
They lived between two national parks, Glacier and Yellowstone, and did a lot of hiking and skiing.
“It was time to move back home,” Kannady said.
She enjoys the variety and creativity her job entails. She deals with different businesses every day, and every loan is different.
“I enjoy helping people,” she said. “My job gives me the opportunity to invest in people and help them be successful. Sometimes they struggle, and I help them through that, as well.”
Her 61-year-old father isn’t ready to hang up his hat yet, but he envisions that Emily may eventually take his place. She said she would be fine with that.
Kannady’s husband is a self-employed builder. He has done several remodeling and a few minor home interior projects since returning to Marion.