Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 24I
I FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Sunday, March 28,1999
Citizens Bank keeps local ties
By Alton Bridges
Stall Writer
The Citizens Bank of Forsyth
County Inc. is one of the newer
banks in the county. It opened for
business on Feb. 3, 1997 and in
December of 1997 had assets of
$34 million. At the end
of 1998, the assets of the
bank topped $59 million.
The President and
Chief Executive Officer
of Citizens Bank is
David Denton, who was
born and raised in
White Count, located
between Cleveland and
Helen. Denton moved to
Forsyth County in 1981
from Habersham where
he worked in the banking busi
ness.
“Our directors and most of our
employees live in Forsyth
County,” said Denton. “When we
began planning the application for
the bank charter, we wanted peo
ple who were interested in and
cared about the county. We have
been pleasantly surprised at the
growth we have experienced in
NATIONS from 221
with pride working for the Bank of Cumming was
Allene Wheeler. She graduated from Cumming High
School and went to Atlanta and took a course in com
merce. In 1928, she went to work for the Ford dealer
ship that was owned by Otwell. The Ford dealership
was located across from where the county’s
Administration Building stands today.
The dealership had a large pot-bellied stove in the
shop where the mechanics could stay warm and a
smaller one in the office where the secretary worked.
1 “When Mr. Otwell bought the bank, they had a fire
place,” remembers Wheeler. “Paul Worley walked to
\vork each morning from Bettis Gap Road, which is on
the other side of Sawnee Mountain, and came to the
dealership and got a bucket of coal and built the fire in
the bank before the other employees arrived.”
At the time only three people worked in the bank
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770-886-7050 Fax 770-886-7020
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2 LOCATIONS:
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(770) 889-2685 (706) 216-4693
598 Atlanta Rd. Hwy. 53 & 400
the two years we have been open.
The people of the county have
been good to us and we hope we
have been good to the county.”
The incorporators included
Catherine M. Amos, Jeffrey S.
Bagley, Bill H. Barnett, Danny
M. Bennett, Michael P. Bennett,
Bryan L. Bettis,
Talmadge W. Bolton,
Thomas L. Bower 111,
Charles R. Castleberry,
Denton, Charles D.
Ingram, Herbert A. Lang,
Jr., John P. McGruder,
James J. Myers, Danny
L. Reid, Charles R.
Smith, Wyatt L.
Willingham and Jerry M.
Wood.
In addition to Denton,
I -
■L H
Hl
I ■
I
I
Denton
the Executive Officers are Holly
R. Hurt, Chief Financial Officer
and Secretary; Jimmy S. Fagan,
Executive Vice President, and
Timothy M. Perry, Service Vice
President and Chief Lending
Officer.
The bank is planning to open a
new branch at the comer of Hwy.
9 and Campground Road in the
Midway community.
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY
Worley, Brian Redd and Roy Redd none were
women,” remembers Wheeler. “I started working and
my pay for the first three months was $25, but when I
had been working three months, I started making $25
per month.”
On July 28, 1984, the Bank of Cumming became
Bank South. At the time, Cumming had three other
banks and two savings and loan associations. The bank
had 65 employees and a branch in the Tri-County
Plaza.
The population explosion in Forsyth County had
already started. In the six months before Bank South
bought the Bank of Cumming, the total assets of the
bank had increased 10 percent to s7l million. The
population of the county was approximately 30,000
See NATIONS, Page 251
North Point Bank building
By Alton Bridges
Staff Writer
Groundbreaking ceremonies
were held on March 18 for a new
branch office of the Dawson
County Bank in Forsyth County.
The facility will be on Browns
Bridge Road in the Hammond’s
Crossing area.
“This is an exciting venture
because it will be our first office
outside Dawson County,” said
Don Gordon, President and CEO
of the Dawson County Bank. “We
are looking forward to making
our home style banking services
more convenient to our many cus
tomers in the area, as well as
serving new customers in this
growing community.”
The Hammond’s Crossing office
will be named North Point Bank
A Division of Dawson County
Bank, which is derived from the
name of Dawson County Bank’s
holding company, North Point
Bancshares Inc.
“We are adopting a new name
in honor of our new location and
we plan to become active mem
bers in this county,” added
Gordon.
Customers will enjoy a full-ser
vice office that will include five
interior teller stations, four drive
thru teller lanes, a conference
room, safe deposit vault, three
loan offices and a drive-up ATM.
Design Build Concepts of
Atlanta will provide the architec
ture, interior design and construc
tion management for the 4,291-
square-foot traditional brick
building.
Through a competitive bid
process, local sub-contractors are
providing the actual labor and
local suppliers are providing
building materials for the project,
keeping the majority of the con
struction dollars in the
Forsyth/Dawson County ajea.
Photo/Tom Brooks
North Point Bank, a division of
Dawson County Bank, will be
located on Brown’s Bridge
Road in the Hammond’s
Crossing area off Ga. 400.
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Sun Trust gives personal touch,.
• •**<•*
By Alton Bridges
Staff Writer
At Sun Trust building financial
success begins with one thing ...
listening. The employees at
Sun Trust want to be sure that they
are meeting the needs of all their
neighbors with quick and
friendly service.
Therefore, Sun Trust
opened its fourth full ser
vice office located at
1170 Buford Highway in
September 1998. Since
the branch opened, the
loans and deposits in the
county have exceeded
$l2O million. The total
deposits of Sun Trust on
June 30, 1998 were
$63,657,000. !
‘The branch has really grown ;
since it opened,” said Ken I
Shugart, Group Vice President of <
Sun Trust. “The people have really i
been good to us during the past ;
year. One of the things that we
stress at Sun Trust is getting to
know the people. We also like to.
get out and visit the people in the. ’
community, those in business and
those going into business. We not *
only want to see Forsyth County ■
grow; we want to help the courity
grow. We have learned that visit- ,
ing people in their homes
and in their business not .•
only helps us, but helps,
the people. Sometimes :,
people feel more coms
sortable in their business.
or home than in a-’
banker's office.”
Shugart wants every.-
person working • at-.
Sun Trust to be a part of,•
the team and community*.
“We are lucky,” said;.
Shugart
Shugart “The people at Sun Trust f
are really interested in helping
their neighbors ... helping
one makes us feel good about ouri*.
selves. One of the greatest thihgi*’
about banking is seeing someone
start with a checking account and
their first loan. People have a lot
of pride, both our customers and'
employees, and we want
to feel like a part of the team at:
Sun Trust.”
Sun Trust is always looking for
ways to help and be involved in
the community. “It is amazing
how Forsyth County has grown in
the past few years,” said Shugart.
“We hope it continues to grow
and we want to be one of the rea
sons it grows. “
The four offices in Forsyth.
County are located at 601 Triy
County Plaza, 3960 Highway 9*
3245 Peachtree Parkway (inside
of Publix), and 1170 Buford
Highway.