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2008-03-13  MAIN STORY | Bank of North Georgia still a handshake bank
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| | by Hatcher Hurd | |  |
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| | | (HATCHER HURD/www.northfulton.com)
Bank of North Georgia Executive Vice president Allen Barker will lead the bank’s expansion into Johns Creek and Dunwoody. Under the Synovus umbrella, BNG has been one of the fastest growing community banks in the metro area with $5 billion in assets. (click for larger version) | |
March 19, 2008
JOHNS CREEK -- Bank of North Georgia, based in Alpharetta, has quietly grown to be not only one of the strongest north metro banks but No. 2 in its parent company Synovus. So while other banks may be in retrenchment mode, BNG is still growing with two new branches -- one just opened in Johns Creek and a Dunwoody branch coming right behind it.
Asked why the mortgage crunch didn't slow his bank down, BNG Chairman Don Howard said they didn't escape it but the bank was able to keep it under control.
"We do have our exposure to residential construction real estate. But It's about 25 percent of our loan portfolio. We made a great effort to contain the people dealing with the real estate issues and not let it infect the whole bank," Howard said. "So we have been able to keep focus on long-term plans to grow business, grow market share and expand according to our plan.
"Nothing about the current economic climate has changed our appetite for doing that."
Meanwhile commercial construction has remained strong and that has been a big part of BNG's activity.
"Lines of credit, asset-based lending, leasing and consumer lending are areas still strong for us. We have a big portion of our bank that is still business as usual," Howard said.
So BNG has kept working its long-term plan.
BNG Executive Vice president and Regional Community Executive Allen Barker joined the bank in 1997 and now is leading the team that will run those two new branches. He says it is no big secret why BNG remains successful and continues to expand.
"Community banking is all about having a personal relationship with your customers, knowing who they are and understanding their needs," said Barker. "Community banking is another way of saying community building. That's what we do.
Corporate members of the Synovus family have always said it is the ideal parent company. Its plan is to buy successful financial institutions and then let them continue to operate in the ways that made them successful. Rather than centralize management, it keeps management decentralized which in turn allows the banks and companies in the network to maintain local autonomy.
That's important, said Barker. That is the key to having it both ways, a community bank with clout.
"At BNG, when you ask for a loan, we have autonomy here. You are not going to wait for some bureaucratic loan committee. You are not going to wait while some computer program spits out whether your unique needs fit into what has been programmed into it.
"You will deal with your banker and he will have the authority to make a decision – most likely that day," Barker said.
So Bank of North Georgia is still a handshake bank -- where your banker's handshake means a deal.
BNG's rise to nearly the top of Synovus' 37 banks' pecking order shows they must be doing something right.
He has been busy putting new teams (their employees are managed as teams)together for Johns Creek and Dunwoody. His opposite number in Fulton County, Ken Davis, just opened the new Sandy Springs branch in November, and Barker has been itching to get into Johns Creek.
"It's incredibly important to us to expand the BNG footprint to Johns Creek. It is now the ninth largest city in Georgia, and we should be there." Barker said. "It is also incredibly upscale and a great place to do business and to live."
The demographics tell the story. The average household income is $140,000 annually, and the average home value is $400,000.
"From my perspective, those numbers will only get better," he said. "You have quality housing, quality businesses -- just look at Johns Creek Technology Park. And you have quality retail," he said.
In other words, there is no downside to be there. The new Bank of North Georgia branch will be in the old BB&T bank at Ga. 141 and McGinnis Ferry Road across from the Kohl's shopping center just inside Forsyth County.
Beyond Johns Creek and Dunwoody, BNG would like to keep filling in the dots on the map from Ga. 400 east to I-85. Duluth and the Peachtree Corners area are "inviting," Barker said.
Howard said key to BNG's success has been its attention to hiring and keeping the top personnel the bank can find.
"It's not just putting up a fine big building. It's about staffing it with the right people," Howard said.
When Howard is out in the community he likes to ask people who they bank with, they usually respond with the name of one bank or another.
"But then I ask, 'Who is your banker?' And if they can't tell me who right away, I know they don't have a real banking relationship," Howard said.
Barker said he believes that is why BNG has an edge. It puts a lot of effort into making banking personal.
"It is part of what makes us unique. First and foremost, we're able to work as a team. And to have a good team you have to recruit well. So we work hard to make sure we attract, train and retain top quality talent in the marketplace," Barker said.
Word is getting around, too. BNG was one of the 2007 "Best Places to Work" coming in at No. 4 on the Business Chronicle's list as voted by the employees. It was the only bank in the Top 10. Georgia Trend magazine also named BNG to its "Best Place to Work in Georgia," naming the 15 best companies to work for.
"Take care of your team, and your team takes care of you," Barker said. "Bank of North Georgia's money is as green as any other bank's. The difference is the quality of the service."
It has been agreed that new banks Synovus acquires in the Atlanta area will come under the BNG brand. A sign also that Synovus likes the BNG way of doing things. It is now the largest affiliate within the Synovus family of companies.
- www.northfulton.com
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