Business View Magazine | Volume 8, Issue 9

138 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 8, ISSUE 9 PLANTERS F I RST BANK and loyalty. We treat each relationship as a partnership. The secret to our success is our customers, our employees, and our shareholders – creating a team approach in every aspect of banking.” “Our bank itself, if you think about it, is a small business,” says CEO Mike Phillips. “That puts us in the unique position of being able to provide counsel to other small businesses, which is part of our growth model. We’ve had our legacy business with roots in some of the rural sections of Georgia for a long time; that’s our customer base. Stability and loyalty helped our bank survive during the financial crisis, and that’s a success story for Georgia. Unfortunately, Georgia was deeply impacted by the financial crisis, and Planters First Bank went through it too. But it’s our tenacity, our perseverance, and our ability to make the best decisions with our customers and our employees that have allowed us to flourish.” Phillips has only been with Planters for two years, but he’s had a long history in banking throughout the State of Georgia. He speaks of the company with great admiration for its continued commitment, both to its customers and its employees. “They stayed with us during the tough times and showed tremendous loyalty. We know what we’re good at, and what we bring to the table, and we learned a lot of lessons from the financial crisis.” “We’ve got 24 employees that have been with us for over 20 years, and that’s a testament to the loyalty of the employees that have stuck with us through the tough times,” Tinsley says. “Corporate culture is something that’s a challenge for many companies. We have our challenges, too, but our culture is relatively easy in that it’s based on dedication and the longevity of our employees. We operate with an accountability format; we hold one another accountable and that drives our results. We also evolve with the needs of