Associate Spotlight: Q&A with Stephanie Mallory, VP, Treasury Sales Manager

Learn about Stephanie's 20-year career journey at CCB ...

You joined Country Club Bank in August 2002. What led you here initially?

I saw the position for an administrative assistant, but I’d actually never heard of Country Club Bank. I did have some banking experience and thought maybe I could get my foot in the door. So, I applied.

You’ve been with Country Club Bank for more than 20 years. What has kept you here?

I’d done a few other things, but I’d stay for a year and then leave. My husband asked me when I was going to find something I wanted to stick with longer term, and I told him, “I’ll know it when I get it. I just haven’t felt it yet.” So, I got the job here as Mark’s and Tim’s assistant for three years and got to know the bank and the family. And I thought, “Yeah, this is where I want to stay. This is where I want to build a career. And now that I’m here, what do I want to do?”

I love the way the family and other executives care about people, not just as employees, but as an extension of their family. They lead with integrity. Byron would always say, “Surround yourself with good people, and good things will happen.” I knew they were the people I wanted to stick with.

Tell us about your journey to your current position.

A position came open for a Merchant Services Representative in the Treasury Department, which consisted of just two people at the time. The role would allow me to be client facing and work with customers, which sounded fun. The bank had confidence in me, and I became part of the Treasury team, learning everything I could. As the department grew, my manager suggested I cross-train with the person who was doing Treasury sales.

I didn't even know what treasury management was, but I thought I’d follow my manager’s encouragement to cross-train and make myself even more valuable by continuing to learn. The department kept growing, and I kept learning, until I was asked to become the Treasury Services Manager, overseeing the department’s sales and operations.

Finally, Treasury was getting so big we needed to spin off the sales side into a different department with a different reporting structure. And once again, I had to ask myself some questions, “OK, Stephanie, do you want to go with the sales side? Or do you want to stick with the operations side?”

I love both, but I really liked the client-facing piece of it. So, I went with the sales side and became the Treasury Sales Manager. I’ve had the opportunity to help build out the department since there hadn’t been a Treasury Sales Department before. It was really an opportunity, with some guidance, to say, “What do we want this to look like?” and then have an impact in shaping it. We had a Merchant Services salesperson, which is where I started, and a Treasury salesperson. We added two new positions—a Treasury banker who worked exclusively with Treasury clients who have more complex needs and a sales analyst to track our revenue and help with training. So, it was just the four of us, and besides assisting our external customers, we worked hard to keep the communication open with the operations side of Treasury.

To what do you attribute your ability to “build your career” within the bank—and what can other CCB associates learn from your experience?

A few things. First, I raised my hand. Just put yourself out there. When they were looking for someone to oversee Treasury sales and ops, I knew I had never managed people. But I made a business case for myself, explaining why I thought I would be good for the role. I said, “If at the end of six months, this is a train wreck, I’ll go back to what I was doing.”

Second, be collaborative and approach your work enthusiastically.

Take the time to meet people in other departments and find out what they do and how you can support them.

It’s just knowing your teammate, knowing who you’re working with and being really intentional about communicating and not staying in a silo. Notice the birthdays and anniversaries posted in the elevators. Volunteer for Team Impact—you’ll meet other associates while you’re doing good in the community.

Third, continue to build your skills and learn. Ask questions. If there’s an area where you’d particularly like to improve, get a mentor. At every step, I have received encouragement, advice and support. Don’t think of Country Club Bank as a small bank with limited opportunities. Its size is appealing in that you can and do get to know other areas of the bank. If somebody told me they were interested in Trust, I can put them in touch with the president of the Trust Company, who is more than willing to talk to anyone. Everybody's like that here—you can learn a lot.

So, be a sponge and learn all you can. Raise your hand. The opportunities are there. Be ready for them!