“The first word that came to me was ‘family.’ The representatives at the Downtown Branch are just that to me. I have conducted business with several banking organizations but never have I felt such a close relationship. I am always greeted by my name when I enter the building – not just me but my husband and daughter also. They have never missed a birthday wish, courtesy call or just a simple great day and in my world they are family.”
That’s an excerpt from a letter written to the Florida Bank Group about the experience one of Florida Banks’ clients had at the Downtown Branch at 135 W. Bay St.
That’s exactly the philosophy behind the bank, said Vice President and Downtown Branch Manager Tanya Guydos.
“Some banks have started charging their customers if they go to a teller window too many times in a month. We’re not like that. We like to see our customers and find out how they are and how their families are,” she added.
The institution debuted in Jacksonville with a single branch Downtown under the name Bank of North Florida in December, 2006. Last March BoNF merged with Tampa-based Florida Bank Group and changed its name to Florida Bank and two more local branches have opened for business in Ponte Vedra and Ortega. The holding company currently has 16 branches in the Tampa area and Tallahassee in addition to North Florida and more than $800 million in assets.
“When we opened in Jacksonville we brought a ‘community bank’ feel to the market,” said Guydos. “We specialize in personal and family banking and providing financial services to small businesses.”
The bank offers a selection of checking and savings account options including an account for people ages 50 years and older that includes unlimited check writing and no monthly fee.
Florida Bank’s “Community Hero” checking account comes with its own set of features and is available to police officers, firefighters, active duty and retired military personnel, hospital staff, government employees, educators in public and private schools and universities, cable and utility workers and people who work for nonprofit organizations.
“It’s our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the people who help all of us,” said Guydos.
There’s an account customized for students age 17 years and older that comes with no maintenance fee. The Downtown branch also hosts seminars for young people where they can learn about personal finance.
“We partner with kindergartens who bring field trips to the bank. We give them a tour and then we have pizza in the board room. It’s a way to teach them the importance of saving money,” said Guydos.
In partnership with Community Connections Florida Bank sponsors a summer camp program that teaches children about careers in finance.
“It’s also about how to get one of those careers by staying in school, doing your homework and respecting people,” Guydos added.
She serves on the Chamber of Commerce’s Professional Women’s Council and is co-chair of the Community Involvement Committee.
“The bank supports me in the effort and allows me the time to work with local nonprofits who are focused on providing services for women and children. I think it’s important for us to learn about organizations and what they do so we can know how we can help them,” said Guydos.
The Downtown Branch opens at 8:30 a.m. and closes at 4 p.m. but later services are available as is personal delivery of loan documents to Downtown customers. Florida Bank also has an enclosed ATM at the Hogan Street entrance accessible after hours only with a credit or debit card.
Guydos, who worked for Merrill-Lynch in the community relations and communication departments, draws on her experience in marketing to tell the bank’s story.
“I like the ‘people’ side of financial services. My focus as a branch manager is to create awareness of Florida Bank. We know most people already have an existing banking relationship but sometimes they decide to make a change. It’s my job to make sure people know who we are and where we are.
“We also work with Downtown Vision to increase business in the urban core and to encourage Downtown businesses to do business with each other. That creates a neighborhood,” she said.
356-2466