My Interview with Ray Davis

As emcee of the Community Bankers Association of Georgia annual conference, I interviewed Ray Davis, former CEO of Umpqua Bank. Ray is iconic for taking Umpqua, a small $140 million institution located in rural Oregon, and transforming it into a $20 billion juggernaut. As I frequently talk about the success of Umpqua when I speak […]

Paying for Parking on The Way Out of Ark Encounter

My brother Larry and sister Linda and I took our elderly parents on a bucket-list road trip to Kentucky to visit the Ark Encounter. As we entered the main parking lot, I immediately noticed something radically different from every other park or attraction I had ever visited: there was no booth to collect parking fees. […]

Branch of the Future? I Hope Not!

I was in Atlanta, Georgia, for a series of business meetings, and happened to be at a trendy restaurant near the Federal Reserve Bank in Midtown. My breakfast meeting was ending, and as we were discussing the state of branch transformation in financial institutions, my guest suggested I check out the new Bank of America […]