The Region VII Planning & Development Council and BC Bank are the Barbour County Chamber of Commerce Members of the Month in June. 

Lilah Phillips, right, is the Vice President for Lending at BC Bank.  Shane Whitehair, left, is the Executive Director of the Region VII Planning & Development Council.

Region VII is a government entity which offers technical assistance, project development, and project management services to local governments and organizations in a seven­-county area including Barbour.  The agency ensures that local governments are in a position to apply for - and receive - federal and state funding to implement priority projects in their communities.

Director Whitehair’s office is located at 21 East Main Street, suite 102, in Buckhannon and may be telephoned at (304) 472-6564, E-mailed at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  and is on the web at www.regionvii.com

A native of Ohio, Lilah Phillips’ BC Bank is located at 27 Pike Street in Philippi and has branches in Nutter Fort, Fairmont, Buckhannon, and Farmington.  BC Bank , a full-service financial institution, may be addressed at Post Office Box 470 in Philippi or telephoned at (304) 457-3300.  The bank was incorporated in 1969, opened for business in 1970 and, for the past 50 years has continued to serve its customers in a community-oriented environment with safe and secure banking products.  In 1986, the success of the bank led the lenders to establish a holding company, Appalachian Financial Corporation, which now owns the bank.

“BC Bank offers consumer and commercial lending and deposit accounts with competitive rates,” Phillips says. “We are known as a hometown personal service bank.”  Phillips served as Treasurer of the Philip Barbour High School Band, Children’s Coordinator at the Mount Vernon UMC Church, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce.