Building Commerce tells the intertwined story of Commerce Bank and the development of the American Midwest. The book documents the story of a family-led institution that, by placing customers and communities first and rejecting the fast-money practices of too-big-to-fail banking, consistently ranks among America’s best-performing banks. Illuminating Commerce’s connections with employees, customers and communities, the book reminds readers that, 150 years after its founding, Commerce does business with the same values on which it was founded: strength, self-reliance, industriousness, trust, a deep sense that community matters and that sustainable success is built on long-term relationships.