BankSouth held its second annual employee Kickoff and Awards Banquet at the University of Georgia’s Conference Center in Athens, Ga., on January 21, 2017.
 
Employees were honored to hear motivational speaker, Lee Ellis.  Early in his career, Lee’s interest in leadership was piqued when he served as an Air Force fighter pilot flying fifty-three combat missions over North Vietnam. In 1967, he was shot down and held as a POW for more than five years in Hanoi and surrounding camps. After the war he served as an instructor pilot, chief of flight standardization/evaluation, and flying squadron commander. Additionally, he commanded two leadership development organizations before retiring as a colonel. Lee’s combat decorations include two Silver Stars, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star with Valor device, the Purple Heart, and the POW medal.
 
Lee taught the attendees about his Courageous Accountability model that is used to create a positive accountability culture and promote effective collaboration.  BankSouth plans to continue to use the principals from Ellis’ book, Engage with Honor, to further enhance the BankSouth internal culture, as well as to better serve their customers.
 
In addition to Ellis’ speech, BankSouth honored outstanding members of their team for exemplary performance in 2016.  Award winners received a beautiful trophy and a standing ovation from their teammates.
 
The Relationship Optimization Award was given to Lorie Petersen, business development officer, for her exceptional management of clients’ needs and relationship focus.  Bob Slocum, Watkinsville market manager said, “Lorie does an exceptional job networking and growing and fostering relationships.  I can’t think of anyone that is more involved and dedicated to her community.”
 
The Rising Star award is defined as the employee who has grown quickly and made significant contributions to the bank in the past year and was awarded to Diaundra Walton.  Slocum said, “Since joining the bank in April, Diaundra has trained as a Customer Care representative, Teller, Back-up Lead Teller, Personal Banker, and, most recently, has trained to conduct audits for the Watkinsville office. During times of transition when others may have been stressed, Diaundra viewed it as an opportunity to learn and grow. She has performed each position with excellence.”
 
The Customer Service Associate of the Year award was given to Dawn Grimsley.  This award is given to the individual that provides outstanding service at a consistently high level and serves as a role model through positive interactions with customers.  Jamie Arnold, AVP branch sales and service, said, “Dawn is a true team player. She consistently puts the needs of the team and the customer first. In every position she has held, she has worked to deliver an extremely positive experience to the customer.”
 
BankSouth’s Sustainability Award went to Traci Thrasher, human resources officer, and Crystal Miller, Customer Care Center assistant manager, for embodying the bank’s core values of being ready, responsive, and respectful.  This award is given to employees that are recognized for contributing to BankSouth’s success as a whole, advancing the team, and maintaining a strong customer commitment and focus, both internally and externally.  
 
David Cowles, EVP and COO, said, “Traci has earned her trusted position at the bank and is the reliable go to person for all of our teammates.  She answers more questions than anyone else and her workload has increased 50 percent in the last 6 years while maintaining a positive attitude.”
 
Michael Lozanski, Customer Care Center manager, said, “Crystal has impeccable knowledge of our customers’ needs and uses this understanding to provide incredible service.  Crystal joined the Customer Care team this year and has been a true asset to our department.”
 
BankSouth also acknowledged certain departments for Team Awards for employees who exemplify coming together as a team to work together to provide memorable customer service.  The Deposit Operations Team was recognized, consisting of Tina Brown, Chandra Dawson, Donna Dalesio, Lisa Low, Holly Jackson, Susie Lee, and Holly Keys.  David Cowles, EVP and COO, said, “As some customers transition away from the teller line in favor of mobile banking, our deposit ops team still has to process/review all items ‘behind the scenes.’  They see every in-coming and out-going wire, handle every piece of mail sent out to customers, and consistently handle the most complex of customer issues all with a positive attitude.”
 
The Loan Operations Team also won the award consisting of Sarah Neuss-Sama, Stephanie Mitchell, Kimberly Thomas, Quinn Grogan, Tena Jones, Rose Bates, and Denise Cagle. Cowles said, “This year required more from our loan operations team than we have ever asked before.  They worked long hours and consistently had ever-growing workloads.  They kept their heads held high and tackled the job as a team to ensure our customers were taken care of.  This type of commitment is remarkable.”
 
In addition, the Information Technology Team was awarded, specifically, Jack Bush, Myra Jones, Clay Smith, Cindy Caldwell, Michael Gold, and Derek Jones.  Cowles said, “Our IT team provides the ‘core’ systems allowing all of us to do our jobs on a daily basis.  This year we had two offices move in back to back weekends.  The IT team stayed focused and determined and successfully moved countless pieces of equipment and worked to implement multiple systems, in addition to completing an email conversion for our entire enterprise.  We could not do our jobs nearly as successfully or efficiently without this great team.”
 
The BankSouth Chairman’s Award was presented to Director of Special Projects, Rebecca Matthews, for best exemplifying BankSouth’s Core Values of Being Ready, Being Responsive, and Being Respectful.  This award recipient is chosen by Chairman and CEO, Harold Reynolds, each year and is the highest of honors at BankSouth.  Reynolds remarked that, “Rebecca Matthews works to make us better individually and as an organization.  She exemplifies our core values and helps give us tools to live out our mission.”