Mike Butler, head of SunTrust Bank’s East Tennessee Region, talks about the challenges facing banks in the 21st Century from his office on Market Street.Name: Mike ButlerAge: 53Position: Chief executive of SunTrust, East Tennessee regionCareer: 32 years in banking, some circus workEducation: Florida State UniversityFamily: Wife, Kim; son, Joseph and daughter, Julia.Home: Signal Mountain
Running off to join the circus is considered more of a figure of speech these days than something people actually do.
Mike Butler actually did it.
The current president of SunTrust Bank’s East Tennessee region juggled axes, walked a tightrope and catapulted from a teeterboard during the 1970s – a time when most kids his age rebelled by growing their hair out and listening to the Rolling Stones.
“It was the most significant event in my life,” he said.