Fifth Third Bank cuts the ribbon on new branch
“Welcome to Fifth Third Bank,” said Justin Sullivan, vice president and district manager for FTB in Knoxville and branch manager of the Turkey Creek location, as he greeted everyone.
“Everyone here has served some role in us joining the community and growing this community, whether it be a customer we helped start (his/her) business from the ground up or someone in the Chamber who has been super helpful in helping us connect with our community partners,” Sullivan said.
He also praised Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, who “has been a huge help to Fifth Third.”
“Very excited,” Tennessee regional president David E. Briggs said about opening the new branch. “This is part of a very concerted effort.
“We’re in the midst of deploying $200 million of capital across Tennessee with a big part of it here in the Knoxville area,” he said. “This is our first of 11 new financial centers in this marketplace, so we’re really excited about it; and as you’ll see, I’m fond of saying, ‘It’s not your grandfather’s financial center.’
“It’s all around financial literacy, having conversations with clients, customers, community folks who need assistance, guidance in navigating the financial markets,” Briggs said.
“For me, really, it is about integrating ourselves into the community,” said Mollie Sebastian, FTB retail executive for Tennessee. “Justin Sullivan, our financial center manager at this location, was born and raised in the area, moved away for a short time but is back and that really has helped us create a connection that goes on a little bit deeper than just being a brick-and-mortar building.
“So, it’s very excited to be able to not only employ people who work and live here in the area but also to serve them,” she added.
“We love being here,” said Brian O’Meara, FTB vice president and regional marketing manager for Tennessee. “It’s a great location. The growth out here (in Turkey Creek) is really something to see.”
Along with the ribbon cutting, it celebrated with community partners who had booths to welcome the public on Oct. 15.
“While the branch has been open a month, the bankers have been here for quite a while, just getting out and talking to small businesses, really meeting the community,” O’Meara said. “These are local partners who just wanted to come out and show what they can offer. You can see everything from fitness companies, like Kick and Fit Club, to home décor to UT Vols, and we have some student athletes from the women’s soccer team out here as well.”
“We’re really excited,” O’Meara said about the opening. “Fifth Third is growing all across the Southeast, but Tennessee is in a special area of focus. This branch is the first of 11 new branches we’ll be opening over the next 18 months or so.”
Currently, O’Meara said the bank has 1,600 banks nationwide.
However, “last week, we also announced a merger with Comerica Bank, which is headquartered in Dallas, so that number will change next year, when the merger actually closes,” he said.
About choosing Turkey Creek, “anytime we’re looking to open a new branch, we kind of do a deep dive into an area and want to see where is an area that is growing, where you’ve got lots of businesses, especially small- to mid-size businesses, which is sort of our sweet spot for banking, and just people moving, too.” O’Meara said. “Turkey Creek ticks off every category,” he added. “Tennessee, as a state, is growing. There are a lot of people moving in from the West Coast, the Northeast, the upper Midwest, which really sort of vitalizes the area even more so.
“For me, it’s just exciting to be a bank like Fifth Third, which is very forward thinking, as far as technology for our customers,” O’Meara said. “Our mobile app has won awards for being one of the very best in the industry.
“If you look around this branch, it’s a new design,” he said. “It’s not the old style, you know, teller counter and desks in offices off to the side. It’s built to foster conversations.”
And, “when you walk into a branch, it’s the bankers themselves (that sets Fifth Third apart from other banks),” O’Meara said. “They are extremely well-trained and knowledgeable, and their goal is to get to know our clients, see what their needs and goals are and then plot solutions to help them reach whatever those financial goals may be.”
Of the 11 branches, he said, “This branch will be the hub. This is a larger facility because it’s where we can have financial advisors or mortgage officers or other business partners base out of here and then meet customers.”
Fifth Third Bank is a full suite of banking services, offering a range from personal and business checking and savings accounts to loans — auto, personal and mortgage — to investment products. It also offers services, such as mobile and online banking, foreign currency exchange and ATM access.
Still, “we really like to think of it not in terms of product but how we can help customers,” O’Meara said. “For us, it’s really understanding the customers and their needs and picking out the right solution more than offering a special rate on a deposit account or something like that. We want to keep the long-term goals in mind.”
The bank is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday; from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday; from 9 am. to noon, Saturday; and closed Sundays.
“For more information, call 865-489-4644.
