Randolph-Henry High School students in Sherri Pillow’s economics and personal finance classes visited The Bank of Charlotte County recently. 

Bank President & CEO Bobby Howard welcomed the students to the “financial district of Phenix” and provided a history of the bank’s founding in 1912. The location of the front door of the bank is significant to the design, as it was the center of the town of Phenix at that time. Throughout the years, this unit bank has served the area citizens well and managed to grow despite the ups and downs of the economy.  It is proudly one of the oldest businesses in Charlotte County.

Claire Hancock, vice president, explained characteristics of various bank products offered and the requirements to open accounts. She spoke on ways to deter, detect and defend against identity theft, which is a hot topic in banking right now. 

Robbie Elliott, loan officer and branch manager, discussed various loan types and how a young person starting out could build his credit, the importance of a good credit history, and how it can affect future job opportunities. In addition, Elliott is in charge of training employees on how to handle a threat or a robbery. Jennifer Ridgeway, senior vice president, shared the events surrounding a bank robbery in 2003. A bullet hole can still be seen in the teller line of the lobby today.

While touring the bank, the students were able to see future areas of interest, such as teller, customer service representative, information technology specialist, risk management and others.  A student highlight was a visit to Howard’s office to view his military memorabilia. Howard expressed his hope that some of the students would consider a career in financial services because it has been very rewarding for him.