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BUSINESS
CHAM I*JOM
July 28 - Aug. 3, 2016 • Page 16A
Bank executive praises mentor, vows to continue her legacy
by Kathy Mitchell
When Jamie Ensley was
named Cornerstone Bank Decatur
city executive in June, he took what
he acknowledges is an untraditional
approach to the announcement.
He used the opportunity to pay
homage to his longtime mentor
Judy Turner, who at the time was
an executive at another local bank.
“I know this was an odd thing
to do, but Judy taught me almost
everything I know about being
a banker. She taught me what
banking is supposed to be,” Ensley
said.
“My first week at Cornerstone
was her last week at Private Bank
of Decatur, so we were competitors
for a couple of days,” he said with a
chuckle.
Although Ensley had worked
at several megabanks before
Turner took him under her wing at
Decatur First Bank, it was at the
local bank that he learned Turner’s
philosophies on relationships and
community. “Customers were never
just account numbers to her. She
recognized that each one is an
integral part of our community;
helping them to succeed is helping
our community to succeed.
“It really broke my heart when
Decatur First went out of business.
I told Judy, ‘Look at all we did—all
the businesses we helped establish
and all the people we helped,’”
he said, adding that he hopes to
continue the local bank’s legacy
at Cornerstone. “I’ll be working to
bring the Decatur First philosophy
to Cornerstone, building community
through relationships and helping
our neighbors achieve their goals.”
In announcing Ensley as
Cornerstone’s newest executive,
the bank’s president and CEO,
Hank Almquist, said Ensley brings
to Cornerstone “community banking
in its purest form.” He added, “I
have always been drawn to people
with a passion for what they do, and
Jamie definitely has that.”
Ensley worked 10 years
under Turner’s leadership and
credits her with infusing in him
knowledge of what he calls “a
unique market.” Describing Decatur
as “a progressive Mayberry”—a
reference to the fictional small town
of the Andy Griffith Show, where
neighbors all knew and cared about
one another—Ensley said that like
Turner he feels personally invested
in the future of DeKalb’s county
seat.
Turner’s 51-year career in
the banking business started at
Citizens & Southern National Bank,
where she became an officer in
1974. She saw the bank through
several mergers and acquisitions
before she became founding
president and CEO of Decatur First
in 1998.
As was the case with many
financial institutions, Decatur First
Bank was unable to survive the
recession that struck the nation in
2008. “Cornerstone Bank is one of
the few community banks that was
able to weather the recession,”
Ensely said. “It took hard work
and creative approaches—
custom solutions to individual
banking needs. I’m proud to say
Cornerstone never abandoned
Decatur.”
Founded in 2001, Cornerstone
Bank describes itself as “one of the
fastest-growing community banks
in metro Atlanta,” adding that it
primarily focuses on federal Small
Business Administration (SBA)
loans, small business banking,
commercial lending and residential
mortgage.
With more than 20 years of
banking experience, including
his time as senior vice president
and commercial lender with
Decatur First Bank, Ensley gained
extensive experience assisting local
businesses with SBA loans. “These
loans really help communities,
especially in rough economic times.
And they are loans—not gifts. They
are paid back with interest and
help build our communities and our
nation.”
Ensley said he feels the best
way he can thank Turner and others
who have guided his career is to
mentor those who are new to the
banking business. Calling Turner a
“local banking legend,” he said he
plans to personally continue and
teach others to continue her “legacy
of dedication and commitment to
the financial needs of the people
and businesses of Decatur.”
