Growing up in East Brainerd and attending McCallie School, Michael Mathis developed a love for math, sports and other people.
The Chattanooga native initially studied math but switched to an accounting major at Furman University to allow him to pursue a banking career.
“Banking was a natural fit between the two things I love – relationships with people and working with numbers,” Mathis said.
After joining the former Pioneer Bank as a management trainee straight out of college, Mathis became a branch manager when he was only 23 years old and quickly learned the value of listening and learning from other people.
That’s a skill that has served the 51-year-old banker well throughout his career, both in business and in his volunteer community work, and helped Mathis be selected as the Chattanooga Area Manager of the Year for 2020. Mathis, a lifelong resident of Chattanooga who has headed Regions Bank operations in the Chattanooga area for the past 13 years, will be recognized with the annual honor on Sept. 17 as part of a virtual award ceremony in conjunction with the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce annual meeting.