Vice president and loan officer for The Bank of Missouri, Demanche’s influence spreads throughout the community via a variety of civic leadership roles.
“My passion is helping others with compassion,” Demanche says. “Whether it is with my job at the bank or with one of the many community activities, my goal is to take on a job or a challenge with gusto and give it 100 percent.”
Demanche is a charter member of the Republic Business Community Women organization, for which she currently serves on the finance committee and as historian. The group helps to fund college scholarships for Republic students, and this year, launched its Dress For Success clothing bank to provide professional attire for businesswomen.
Demanche was named Woman of the Year by Republic Business Community Women in December 2009.
“I am proud of helping start the organization that promotes women in business and leadership and offers networking and mentoring opportunities,” she says.
Her toughest civic task came in 2010, when Demanche was charged with organizing a parade to honor veterans preceding the 150th anniversary of the Battle at Wilson’s Creek. Without any similar experience, Demanche worked with the Republic Area Chamber of Commerce to tackle the project from scratch.
“By the parade date of August 2010, we presented a parade with floats, bands, military personnel and Civil War re-enactors honoring veterans down Main Street in Republic,” she says, noting the parade also represented an opportunity to collect donations for Ozarks Honor Flight. “I was truly blessed with a fantastic team and a community who wanted to show our veterans we were proud of them.”
At the Republic chamber where Demanche has been a member for 12 years, she served two terms as president 2008–10, during which the business organization sustained its membership ranks and remained financially sound. She also oversaw website improvements, as well as efforts to promote Republic as a business destination.
Her work hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“She spends an inordinate amount of time beyond the workplace volunteering and assisting other causes and people in general,” says Bank of Missouri Senior Vice President Ken Bowman, who also notes Demanche’s residential real estate lending work at The Bank of Missouri. “She is highly organized and puts forth her best effort.”[[In-content Ad]]
