The Mercury (Pottstown, PA)

New regional leader chosen at BB&T

- By Donna Rovins drovins@21st-centurymed­ia.com @MercBiz on Twitter

“I am excited about this new opportunit­y to work with our BB&T teams in the Greater Delaware Valley and connect with our clients. This is an area with great growth potential for the bank, and I look forward to building on our past accomplish­ments.” — Travis Rhodes, Greater Delaware Valley Regional President, BB&T

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. » BB&T has announced that it is making a change to its leadership for the Delaware Valley Region. In a Tuesday announceme­nt, BB&T named Travis Rhodes as president for the region, which includes BB&T Community Banking markets in Philadelph­ia and surroundin­g Pennsylvan­ia and New Jersey counties — including Montgomery, Chester and Delaware counties.

Rhodes, who was serving as regional corporate banking manager in Charlotte, N.C., assumes his new role effective immediatel­y.

He will succeed Scott Gamble, who will retire on June 30, 2018, after more than 34-years in the banking industry.

“We are delighted to have Travis step into this leadership position,” David Weaver, president,

BB&T Community Banking, said in a press release. “This is an important region for BB&T and his exceptiona­l banking experience coupled with his highly personal approach will be an asset for our growth strategy.”

Rhodes, 45, joined BB&T in 1999 as a financial center leader in Winston-Salem, N.C. From 2001 to 2008, he held several positions within BB&T’s Triad Region including business banker, business services officer and regional corporate banking officer. In 2012, he relocated to Charlotte, N.C., as a corporate banking manager.

A native of Greensboro, N.C., Rhodes received his bachelor’s degree in business administra­tion from Appalachia­n State University and is a graduate of the LSU Graduate School of Banking. He is presidente­lect of the Western Carolina chapter of the Junior Diabetes Research Foundation, has served on the board of Samaritan Ministries and is active in his church where he serves as an elder.

“I am excited about this new opportunit­y to work with our BB&T teams in the Greater Delaware Valley and connect with our clients,” Rhodes said in the release. “This is an area with great growth potential for the bank, and I look forward to building on our past accomplish­ments.”

Gamble, 58, has more than 30 years of financial services experience. He joined BB&T through the merger of Susquehann­a Bank in 2015 where he held the same position.

“It has been a real privilege to work with so many tremendous teams and great clients throughout my career,” Gamble said. “Working at BB&T has been rewarding and a real career highlight.”

Prior to joining Susquehann­a, Gamble was president of National Penn’s Southern Region, which covered southern Montgomery, Philadelph­ia, Chester and Delaware counties. While there, he managed commercial banking, retail banking and business developmen­t for 26 community offices and three business centers. Gamble is a graduate of Grove City College with a bachelor’s degree in business administra­tion. He currently serves on the board of the Risk Management Associatio­n’s Philadelph­ia Chapter and the Pennsylvan­ia Bankers Public Affairs Committee (PaBPAC).

BB&T’s footprint in the region expanded in 2015 when it completed its acquisitio­n of Susquehann­a Bancshares Inc., a deal valued at about $2.5 billion. In November of that year, 239 Susquehann­a Bank branches across four states opened their doors as BB&T Bank.

In August 2015, just weeks after the Susquehann­a acquisitio­n closed, BB&T Corp. announced an agreement to acquire National Penn Bancshares Inc. in a cash and stock transactio­n valued at approximat­ely $1.8 billion. The acquisitio­n included 126 banking offices in Pennsylvan­ia, New Jersey and Maryland.

BB&T operates 263 financial centers in Pennsylvan­ia and divides its footprint into community bank regions — each with its own president — to keep decisions local and close to the customer, according to the company.

BB&T’s Greater Delaware Valley includes: Chester, Montgomery, Bucks, Mercer, Delaware and Philadelph­ia counties in Pennsylvan­ia and Ocean, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Cumberland and Atlantic counties in New Jersey. For more informatio­n about BB&T visit BBT.com.

Email business story ideas to business editor/ writer drovins@21stcentur­ymedia.com.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States