Business View Magazine | August 2020

121 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE AUGUST 2020 OCONEE STATE BANK Jim McLemore, stresses the importance of local ownership, and how the bank’s operators reflect the needs and desires of the local community: “From a financial standpoint, the thing that stands out to me is we’ve got a public company, with shares of the bank traded on the public market, and we have a Board of Directors with a pretty high ownership. So, the Board’s interests are aligned with the shareholders.” According to CEO, Neil Stevens, the bank’s growth strategy is providing loans and services to small and medium-size companies in its geographical area. “We are proud of our retail presence and strive to meet the consumer lending needs of these customers while, at the same time, diligently working to grow our commercial loan portfolio. Our portfolio composition is primarily commercial- based and composed of owner-occupied and owner-managed companies and industries such as manufacturing, service, dental, and medical,” he states. “Selectively, we offer commercial real estate, and we specialize in the following business lines: SBA Mortgage Lending and wealth management; however, the core of our banking is composed of small and medium sized companies.” essential to the lives, businesses, and communities we serve.” Its mission: “To create remarkable experiences that significantly mark the lives of others.” Today, the locally-owned and operated Oconee State Bank offers a competitive line of products and services, including consumer and commercial deposit accounts and loans; digital and mobile banking; mortgages; and non-FDIC insured investment services through LPL Financial. It has approximately $450 million in assets, four full- service financial centers, one loan production office, and 100 employees. Oconee State Bank has no institutional investors – its 700 shareholders are, for the most part, all from the communities they serve. Chief Financial Officer,