Rhea County's biggest bank opened its first office in Chattanooga Monday on Gunbarrel Road in East Brainerd.
Simply Bank, which combined the former Dayton-based First Bank of Rhea County and the Spring City-based Community National Bank, is expanding into Chattanooga for the first time with its newest branch.
Simply Bank traces its roots more than a century earlier when it began as the Hamilton Bank of Rhea County in 1890s. The bank is bolstering its position in the Chattanooga market with the new 6-employee branch at 1740 Gunbarrel Road as well as the addition of Rex Rutledge to its commercial lending corps. The new office was formerly an FSG and Atlantic Capital Bank branch.
SimplyBank also operates a full-service branch in Soddy-Daisy in Hamilton County and is among a dozen other branches Simply Bank operates in Rhea, Meigs, Polk, Roane, Bradley, and Knox counties in Tennessee and in Catoosa and Walker counties in Georgia.
"SimplyBank has served Chattanooga for a long time prior to this branch launch," said John Owen, president and CEO. "And in a climate where local banks continue to be acquired or merged with larger out-of-town organizations, we believe our customers, including many Chattanoogans, trust us because we understand what they want: a true locally-owned community bank, where decision makers live in local neighborhoods and understand local markets and issues."
A significant factor in the bank's local identity is its ownership, Owen said.
"Being privately owned by the same family for 40 years with no intention to be sold is what makes us different," he said. "Chattanoogans can be confident in who they're dealing with here, because this bank is committed to remaining local."
The new branch will be managed by Michael Teets and also include Kathryn Gann, relationship manager; Ally Ward, senior customer care specialist; Grayson Ball, customer care specialist; and Rachell Bilbrey, regional retail officer.
The Chattanooga team will be supported by SimplyBank's commercial lending corps and the addition of veteran banker Rex Rutledge in the role of senior development officer.
Rutledge has built more than 20 years of banking relationships in the Chattanooga market and adds extensive commercial lending and consulting expertise to the bank's team. Immediately prior to joining SimplyBank, Rutledge occupied various roles at regional player Truist, where he aided commercial clients not only with financing but also in managing growth through various stages of ownership.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6340.