Growin' Up Gregory

We have all had very different experiences in life.  These seem to have been magnified over the past 4-6 weeks with everything going on in the world.  The threat of COVID and the impact of the CARES act has hit each of us very differently.  I just want to share some of my thoughts from my point of view.  Your may certainly be different if you've seen it from a different angle.  This is merely from my vantage point. COVID-19 Fear Factor One of my biggest concerns with the Coronavirus and COVID-19 is the way people have let themselves, and their whole lives, be taken over and consumed by fear.  Based on yesterday's SC DHEC statistics, there have been 38,833 tests administered with 4,246 positive results.  That is a 10.9% positive test return.  Now, I do not know the typical percentage of positive test for season flu, strep throat, and other 'regular' viruses, but a near 90% negative return rate seems illogical.  If this data is available...

Millennials are categorized as people born between the years 1982 - 2000.  This would put us somewhere between the ages of 18 - 36 (and makes me one of the senior members of this group).  I've read, seen, and heard many different trains of thought on millennials over the past few years as we've become the largest group of members in the workforce in America.  Some has been positive, but some not so much.  Like any other generation, we aren't perfect, but we do have potential.  We just need you to give us a chance, and here's why? Consider this - If you are a 50ish year old individual with a business, how much longer do you plan to keep working?  Based on the current social security rules and typical retirement ages, I would guess another 20 years give or take.  Would you want a business partner who was only planning to work another 5 or 10 years?  Certainly not.  You would want a partner who is going to be there for you and with you the res...

My job, like most everyone else's, can be frustrating at times.  I have friends, clients, or random potential customers who contact me about a financing need or a loan product that they've heard about through some ad on the radio, online, or on TV.  Sometimes, what we have to offer may be much better (or at least much simpler) and other times the larger company is simply able to offer something that a bank our size isn't equipped, capable, or willing to offer.  I like the way one of customer (and now friend) put it:  "A community bank may not be able to do everything, but they can do some things that other banks can't."  He unknowingly nailed what sets community banks (and other small businesses) apart - their ability to see more clearly what a customer wants and needs, and the willingness to customize a solution for their particular need (without all of the ridiculous corporate approvals that are sometimes required). For people who do a lot of traveling,...