Banking On Communities

Local Banker David Edwards is Dedicated to Serving West Georgia

When young David Edwards was in high school in his hometown of Savannah, Ga., he worked three nights a week at a small, locally owned convenience store. Of the three brothers who owned the store, one was always on duty. No job was too menial, and everyone did what they had to do to make the small business successful.

His parents and maternal grandparents were exceptional role models for David. His father with his strong, get-it-done work ethic, his mother offered David her unconditional love and support, his grandfather had a deep love for learning and his grandmother had an admirable, unwavering elegance.

David learned some very valuable lessons during his formative years about life and business from these strong influencers, but, the largest influence that shaped his personal and professional life today began when he was in the Boy Scouts.

"The guiding principles that I use in both my personal and professional life I learned when I was a youngster in the Boy Scouts – now Scouts BSA, and I am proud for girls to have the same scouting experience," he explains. "The Scout Oath and Scout Law have been very important 'fences' or 'guardrails' for me in every stage of my personal or professional life. While none of these ideals are absolutely achievable all of the time, because we all fail, they are ideals we should strive toward.

"'On my honor, I will do my best, to do my duty, to God and my country, and to obey the Scout Law, to help other people at all times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.' – Scout Oath, and, 'A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.' – Scout Law."

Those early guiding principles have served David well in his personal and professional endeavors.

A Promising Future

David spent much of his time at his grandparents' house when he was a child and grew up around their neighbor, Mr. Archie Davis, who was the president of Citizens & Southern National Bank (C&S) in Savannah. Archie offered him a job as a bank teller at C&S while David was home for the summer during his freshman year in college. The job at the bank was the perfect fit for David, as he was pursuing his bachelor's degree in accounting from Georgia Southern University.

He enjoyed working at C&S that first summer and began working there whenever he was home on break for the holidays and summer vacations. The summer before his senior year, he was offered a chance to move to Atlanta with C&S and join the “Summer Management Associate Program.” If the students excelled in this program, they were invited to join the full-time "Management Associate Program" after graduating college. Upon graduating in 1986, David was selected for the full-time program, moved to Atlanta and began his career in banking.

A Full Life

A Full Life David and Katherine with their six grandchildren.

The next few years were busy for David. He continued to excel at his career in banking, married his wife, Katherine, and moved to Carrollton in 1992. They had four children together; one daughter, who is the oldest, and three sons. But in June 1994, while Katherine was pregnant with their third child, she and David encountered a situation they never expected.

"On June 22, 1994, I delivered our third born child myself – with the help of his mother, of course – at our home," he explains. "We had planned a home birth administered by a midwife, but things happened very quickly, and the midwife had not yet arrived. So, I was the only person available for the job. Everything turned out fine, thankfully!"

The kids are all grown, and six grandchildren have been added to the family; four grandsons and two granddaughters. David says Katherine is a strong and loving woman who has had a significant impact on his life. "She is a well-grounded woman who understands and preserves the value of family unity," he shares."She loves our children and grandchildren and is the glue that holds our family together. I find she has great intuition about both personal and professional matters."

In his free time, David enjoys spending time with his family and road cycling – especially on the Greenbelt in Carrollton.

An Impressive Career

Left foreground: David Price, West Georgia Division President; Right foreground: Stephanie Jenkins, Commercial Lending Assistant. Background from left: Sheryl Williams, Business Banker; and David Edwards.

David has achieved much success during his 34 years in the banking industry. As the Regional Director of Community Banking for Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina at Bank OZK, he oversees this region with 96 retail branch locations and 51 commercial lending officers that are managed by nine division presidents.

There are six divisions for community banking in this region and three specialty divisions – Affordable Housing Finance, Charter School Finance and Homebuilder Finance – where the territory is a seven-state footprint.

In 2017, he was awarded "Who’s Who in Finance," an annual list of 100 leaders and influencers in finance and banking, by Atlanta Business Chronicle. He is an active participant in various activities for the Georgia Southern University College of Business Administration, a member of the Delta Chi Fraternity’s National Housing Fund, a member of the board of directors of Atlanta Youth Academy and serves on the board of trustees for the University of West Georgia Foundation.

Bank OZK's Mission

David isn't the only one receiving accolades. Bank OZK also has much to be proud of. On June 25th the bank was ranked number one in the state of Georgia on the Forbes list of "America’s Best Banks in Each State" for 2019.

Bank OZK also believes in the power of investing in their communities. In a show of strong support for the West Georgia market, Bank OZK contributed $250,000 in September 2018 to Higgins General Hospital as part of the Georgia HEART (Helping Enhance Access to Rural Treatment) program to support rural hospitals. The bank made another $250,000 contribution last month.

The Georgia Rural Hospital Tax Credit program, facilitated by Georgia HEART is a program that supports healthcare throughout the state by encouraging taxpayers to learn about the many challenges rural hospitals face and giving them an opportunity to contribute, ensuring access to quality care for all Georgians.

"Investing in the economy and supporting entrepreneurship across West Georgia is also important to Bank OZK," he says. "By making loans to businesses who are building, buying and expanding; start-up businesses; affordable housing projects; and residential homebuilding. All of these contribute positively to making West Georgia a place where people want to live, work and play."

David says the bank ensures that lending decisions are made by bankers who live and work here, who have the local expertise and the ability to devise a financial package that makes sense for the borrower and the bank. A recent example of a positive contribution to the West Georgia area was a loan made in late 2018 for the purpose of constructing a 100+ unit affordable housing apartment complex in Carrollton.

"Georgia is important to Bank OZK," he exclaims. "We are pleased to provide our customers with advanced technology, personalized banking solutions and face-to-face service to meet their unique financial services needs."

Bank OZK is 116 years old and is part of a 10-state footprint with over 250 offices – 67 of those offices are in Georgia. As of June 30, Bank OZK's Georgia offices have over 650 employees. They are in the top 60 banks in the U.S. in asset size, have been ranked the number one bank in the nation by leading industry publications – based on financial performance – 13 times in eight consecutive years and Georgia is home to Bank OZK’s successful Indirect RV & Marine Lending division, a nationwide business.

The bank entered Georgia in 2010 with the acquisition of Unity National Bank and added additional Georgia offices through de novo branches (newly opened bank branches that are not acquired through purchase or acquisition) and the acquisition of seven additional banks – most notably Community & Southern Bank in 2016.

Empowering Women

David, with Tabatha Sabb, FIU Investigations Sr. Analyst.

As a banker, David understands the importance of women and their significant contributions to the U.S. economy and in the workplace.

One way the company helps empower women in the community is by teaching financial literacy to help them make sound financial decisions. They try to reach them early by sponsoring financial literacy programs for local elementary schools.

They also support many organizations who provide education, training and services to help individuals, families and small businesses prepare, repair and improve credit and provide access to housing, loans, investments and other services.

"Statistics show that 90 percent of women will be solely responsible for their own or their family’s finances at some point in their lives and that women now control the majority of personal wealth in the United States," he explains. "But even more important, a fundamental part of our DNA at Bank OZK is to encourage, support and lift up everyone in our communities. We align our charitable giving, our volunteerism and our business practices with the goal of making our communities stronger by empowering individuals with knowledge, tools and guidance to be more financially secure."

All team members in the workplace are valued and respected for their unique contributions. "As stated in the Bank OZK Credo: 'We believe that capitalizing on the unique insights, abilities and experiences of each team member is critical in achieving the bank’s full potential. We embrace teamwork, collaboration and diversity in all its forms, recognizing that our potential together far exceeds the sum of our potential individually.'"

David is proud to have a daughter and two granddaughters. "They are blessed to be a part of this community," he shares. "I’m interested in them thriving and contributing to the continued success of West Georgia." WGW

(Read More Stories Like This In Our August 2019 Man Issue from West Georgia Woman Magazine)