Al.com, home of the Birmingham News, published an article today by reporter William Thornton, telling the Oakworth story through the voices of three different perspectives.
Amelia Ricks, an associate who started with Oakworth at the beginning and has worked her way through the bank.
Sanjay Sing, a board member and an early client, on his perspective on service, our model and our deliverables.
And Scott Reed, our CEO, who started Oakworth 14 years ago and describes how today we are at an “inflection point”
For the entire story – click here.
For our favorite excerpts, read below:
Amelia:
“They wanted to create something different, something that had an old school feel. Where we knew our clients, we knew their families, we had a true relationship. That was very different from anything that I had seen before.”
Sanjay:
Singh, a Birmingham entrepreneur and investor, was one of Oakworth’s first clients, signing on “when I didn’t have a penny to my name,” he jokes. He was introduced to the bank’s founders through mutual friends, and had been looking for an experience similar to what he saw in private, white glove European banks.
“You see this rising class of affluence in middle class America, business owners – they have all these banking needs,” he said. “But the big banks, the little guys, they’re not meant for each other. With the big banks, their business, their money, comes from the big companies. This was a bank based on the premise that, I will treat every facet of your business, every aspect of your life, and integrate it into one assigned banker. I said, ‘Where do I sign up and how fast?’”
Scott:
“We spent the last 14-and-a-half years trying to take really good notes and emphasize what we do well,” Reed said. “We do believe, at this juncture, we’re at an inflection point. We are super excited about what’s in store for us over the next 10 years.”
For the entire article, head to Al.com