Featured Associate

Kimberly Thornton, Regional Manager, South and Southeast Regions

What do you do at Country Club Bank?

I am the Regional Manager overseeing the financial centers in the South and Southeast regions. I am responsible for the oversight of the day-to- day operations of the branch network and direct management of the Financial Center Managers. In addition to the day-to-day oversight of these Financial Centers and Financial Center Managers, I have also been tasked with implementing and overseeing branch sales and customer experience platforms to meet and exceed both sales goals and service targets while also driving business development activities within the Financial Center teams.

How did you get into banking? 

I had been working as a wine consultant in California for the Ernest & Julio Gallo Wineries for their Hotel & Restaurant division.  After the large San Francisco Bay earthquake of 1989, I decided California might not be for me (plus I had lost about everything I owned in the earthquake so moving would be a cinch, LOL!).  I contacted the job placement center at my alma mater, The University of Kentucky, to have them set up a few interviews for me back in the Lexington/Louisville Kentucky area.  One of them was with Norwest Financial, which was later acquired by Wells Fargo. The rest, as they say, is history, and here I am 35 years later!

What drew you to CCB? 

About five years before I decided to join Country Club Bank, I had the opportunity to meet with the former Director of the Consumer Bank, Jo Kinsey, to discuss possible career opportunities with CCB.  Jo continued to stay in touch. I was working for a bank that was systematically closing retail branch locations, and I did not like the disregard shown to the associates who were being impacted by these closings. Jo let me know that CCB was absolutely not that kind of bank and genuinely cared about their associates. I knew that was the type of bank I wanted to work for, so it was just a matter of waiting for the right opportunity to present itself.

How have you been able to advance your career at CCB? 

When I started with the bank, I was overseeing the three Financial Centers in the South region (Hallbrook/Prairie Village/South Leawood). I was quickly given the added oversight of the then-five Retirement Centers offices the bank operated.

When the former Regional Manager in the Southeast region made a career change, I was offered the opportunity to add the 4 branches in the Southeast region as well (Belton/Raymore/Harrisonville/Woods Chapel).

Eventually, a fifth location (Downtown Lee’s Summit) was opened in the Southeast region.  Most recently, there was a realignment of duties, and I was also granted oversight of the bank’s two Olathe Financial Centers (College/151st). The current total of Financial Center locations I oversee is 10 brick-and-mortar locations and the three remaining Retirement Center locations.

What advice would you give other CCB associates about advancing within the bank? 

Always expect more of yourself than those around you do, and never ever forget that you are nothing without the team you are a member of.  

What do you enjoy outside of work? 

I love watching sports, especially college football and basketball—GO BIG BLUE! I also enjoy spending time with my three children and three grandchildren when I can.

Do you belong to any community or professional organizations? If so, why are you interested in them? 

The bank is the sponsor of a program called Coats for Kids, which I head up.  It is a year-round endeavor between sourcing the coats needed, collecting the orders from the schools, filling those orders and then delivering the coats.  When I first started, the program was placing approximately 400 coats a year.  We are now up to handling close to 1,100 coat requests a year.  It is definitely a labor of love, but it makes my heart happy when I see so many of my co-workers pitching in and giving their time and resources to make this program happen each year.