Katie Bowling and Ethan Davis with LGE Community Credit Union

Intro: [00:00:02] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for Atlanta Business Radio, spotlighting the city’s best businesses and the people who lead them.

Stone Payton: [00:00:17] Welcome to another exciting and informative edition of Atlanta Business Radio. Stone Payton here with you this afternoon, and today’s episode is brought to you in part by our Community Partner program, the Business RadioX Main Street Warriors Defending Capitalism, promoting small business and supporting our local community. For more information, go to main street warriors.org and a special note of thanks to our title sponsor for Main Street Warriors, Diesel David Inc. Please go check them out at diesel. david.com. You guys are in for a real treat this afternoon. Please join me in welcoming to the broadcast and back to the Business RadioX microphone, Business Development Officer with LGE Community Credit Union in Roswell, Ms. Katie Bowling, how are you?

Katie Bowling: [00:01:11] I’m great. How are you?

Stone Payton: [00:01:12] I am doing well. I’m refreshed. I’m rested. Got a little bit of jet lag. Just got in from Paris yesterday, but I knew that we were going to get a chance to visit and have you guys in studio. I’ve really been looking forward to this conversation. I got a ton of questions. I know we’re not going to get to them all, but maybe a good place to start is to just get caught up with what’s been happening since I talked to you last. Seems like every time I turn around, you guys are opening new branches, offering new services. So maybe mission purpose of LGE in general and what’s going on here more recently?

Katie Bowling: [00:01:45] Yeah, sure. So last time I was here, we were talking about Sandy Springs and got that branch up and running and it’s doing great. And now we have our Roswell location that has recently moved, and we’re having a big grand opening in May that we’re really excited about. It’s at Holcomb Bridge. And Alpharetta Highway gets much better visual than where it was previously. So that’s something we’re really looking forward to because this is actually our ten year anniversary being in the Roswell City. So now that we have a better spot, we’re excited and hoping to see, uh, more members come in and join us in celebrating.

Stone Payton: [00:02:23] And so we’re going to have tropical punch Katie cakes. Yeah, balloons.

Katie Bowling: [00:02:27] Well, we’ll always have our Nothing Bundt Cakes, Bundtinis®, because we’re a big fan of them. Um, and then we’ll have some charcuterie, a lot of fun things going on. Giveaways. Just be a big celebration.

Stone Payton: [00:02:40] Neat. So Background on LGE started out as a credit union for the folks out there building airplanes.

Katie Bowling: [00:02:45] That’s right. Yes. So we were Lockheed Martin in 1951 is when they started Lockheed Credit Union. And um, over the years, we started opening up our field of membership and went to the acronyms LGA for Lockheed Georgia employees. And we can now it was more focused on what businesses that you worked with, like if you were lucky, Cobb EMC, whereas now it’s where you live or even where you work. Um, you can join LGE. Uh, we are in eight counties and we have 16 branches in Georgia. Wow. Yeah. So we’re really growing, doing a lot of work to get our name out and, uh, let people know that we want to be a community partner.

Stone Payton: [00:03:32] Well, the bar is low and the service is great. I say the bar is low because I’m a customer and everybody has what really attracts them. Right. And some of it’s, you know, fees or not, fees, access, location, all that stuff for me here locally at the, uh, one here in Town Lake that, uh, my buddy Wesley works at. It’s the coin thing because. Yes. Oh, it just irks me to go to the grocery store and pay the extra fee, right, to count the coins. And we’ve got this Folgers coffee can, and that’s, you know, we put our change in it all the time. I just, I that’s what got me. Well that and Wesley’s personality. So shout out to Wesley.

Katie Bowling: [00:04:08] That definitely helps. I will say when I was a branch manager I several years ago, the coin machine goes nonstop. I a lot of people love the coin machine. You don’t have to roll the coins, you just drop them in. So that makes it very convenient.

Stone Payton: [00:04:21] Oh it’s awesome. All right. Who’d you bring with you today?

Katie Bowling: [00:04:24] So I have Ethan here. He’s our Roswell branch manager, and, uh, I know he’s got a lot of exciting news to talk about with the Roswell location and, um, a promotion that we’re having. All right.

Stone Payton: [00:04:35] So, Ethan, before we dive into that, I got to know the backstory. How does one find themselves in this line of work, doing this kind of thing for these kind of people? Like when everybody else was playing cowboys and Indians were you’re like, I’m going to be a branch manager.

Ethan Davis: [00:04:51] Actually, Stone, sometimes the business chooses you instead of you choosing the business. Because honestly, when I moved here 21 years ago, I was working for an enterprise, rent a car, and picked up customer. Um, she was wowed by my customer service, so she said, how about you trying to do something a little bit different? So I applied for a, uh, one of the big banks. I’m not going to say the name. Um, and that’s how my career got started in banking. So I’ve been here ever since. And then I just love helping members, uh, taking care of their financial needs. And, you know, just seeing how we can truly impact customers and members throughout the community.

Stone Payton: [00:05:33] All right. So give us your perspective on LGE in general and this this branch that you that you’re managing.

Ethan Davis: [00:05:41] Great company, great company, great people. Um, it’s founded on people helping people. And it’s truly that’s what they truly do. And, you know, we had the grand opening next Thursday, so we expect a big turnout. Yeah. Beautiful facility. So if you got a chance to come by there, come out and see it. Um, and you’ll be you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Stone Payton: [00:05:59] So you’ve been doing this for how many years now?

Ethan Davis: [00:06:02] Actually been in banking. Almost 20 years. Almost 20 years. Yes. Combined.

Stone Payton: [00:06:07] So now that you got a little bit of time under your belt, what’s the what’s the most rewarding, man? What’s the most fun about it for you?

Ethan Davis: [00:06:14] Um, most fun about it. Just you meet you meet different people every day, and you build those relationships with the members that come in. But you also build relationships with your team members as well. Um, like Katie, um, um, me and Katie, we go out through the community. Uh, she asked me, Ethan, hey, are you available to do this? Hey, my schedule is open. Let’s do it. So, you know, whenever you whenever you have that good partnership. Uh, that’s what makes the job a lot less tedious.

Stone Payton: [00:06:38] So I got to say, I enjoy going to the branch and visiting, and I, you know, I feel like Norm in that old. You’re not old enough to remember this, but there used to be. Okay. Yes.

Ethan Davis: [00:06:46] Norm and Cliff.

Stone Payton: [00:06:46] Right. Norm.

Ethan Davis: [00:06:47] Right there. Right. Sit there. Right there at the edge of the bar as soon as they walk through the door.

Stone Payton: [00:06:50] That’s right. Okay, so you are, uh. But I feel that way when I go into the branch. But I’m around the community a lot, you know, being the radio guy in the community, I know a lot of the small business people and that kind of thing in the local community leaders. And I see large people at every thing, every thing. So you guys, it’s not just a slogan or a poster. It’s, uh, I mean, it is the it’s it’s a key part of your culture or your ethos is to genuinely invest in and be part of the community day to day. Yeah.

Ethan Davis: [00:07:23] Absolutely. That’s what we’re about. We’re about the community, um, because we support the school, the local schools where we have our branches, um, we support, support local charities. Um, we have our special. No holiday celebration in December, where we highlight those different charities and let them come up and speak and tell, uh, what they’re about and what we do for them to help them stay, um, in the place of where they are. And they truly appreciate what we do for them. And we appreciate, uh, what they do for us as well.

Stone Payton: [00:07:57] So banking strikes me as a very competitive arena. So so these things surely would help you distinguish yourself. But I, I asked this almost in every interview, but I’ll ask you guys to maybe get a little bit from both of you on this, the whole sales and marketing thing. I mean, how how does that work? Because you’re talking about for most of us anyway. You’re talking about my money, right? How does the whole you don’t just pick up the phone and say, you know, would you like to come bank with or do you I don’t know.

Ethan Davis: [00:08:29] Well, with credit unions, um, we’re a member owned, so we don’t have stockholders. So whatever we do generate, we give that back to the members and dividends and interest rates. So we don’t compete with other banks and things like that. We just focus on taking care of the member and giving those benefits back. That’s the reason why you see us out in the community, because I worked on both sides. So I worked for the bank for almost 15 years, and plus I worked for a credit union. So pretty much everything you do for a bank, you know, there’s something tied to it. So it’s always stockholders that you got to take care of. So when you talk about generating money, we don’t we you know, we’re not for profit, but we’re not for loss either. So.

Stone Payton: [00:09:08] Oh I’m going to use that. So good.

Ethan Davis: [00:09:10] Point. Yeah. So great. Uh, yeah. So with with that being said, we, you know, we get we pass those benefits on to our members.

Stone Payton: [00:09:18] I like it. So, uh, anything to add to that, Miss Katie? On on just I guess it’s being out in the community, building real relationships. That’s the that’s the core of this whole thing, isn’t it?

Katie Bowling: [00:09:29] Right? The more they see you, the more top of mind you are, the more they become to trust you that you’re out sponsoring events, and they see that you really have that connection with the community and the people there. They see that you care about them, you care about what they care about, and they want to come and see you because they know you’re going to take care of them personally, their finances. And that’s what we want. We want to build that trust.

Stone Payton: [00:09:51] And that same value system that you’re speaking to. It also starts at home. You touched on it a moment ago, I think, Ethan, uh, the people inside the branch, your your team, you’ve, uh, uh, talk to me from a leadership perspective. Uh, how do you live into, you know, the stuff that is on the poster and is in the manual and is like. But how do you. Well, I would back up all the way to recruiting and selecting to developing, to sustaining. Speak to that a little bit if you would.

Ethan Davis: [00:10:22] Well, whenever you have a team and if you’re familiar with sports, everyone has a role. But you also when you’re in a leadership position, you have to manage personalities. You can’t have all of the same type of person in a branch. So it’s it’s about blending that unique group of people and leading them to a common goal. And some days it’s easy. Some days it’s hard because, you know, you’re dealing with personalities. So some personalities are easy to deal with, some personalities are harder to deal with. But the goal is to just to find, uh, find a way to, to take care of making sure your team is taken care of first. And if your team is taken care of, they got a positive attitude, positive vibe. Then whenever someone walks through the door, they’re going to feel it. They’re going to know it, and then they’re going to enjoy coming in. Then. All the great things. That’s when the magic happens then. So it’s easier to ask them to open up an account, do a loan, um, open up a, you know, maybe a Christmas account for you, for your kids, a vacation account, things like that. So you want to make sure you got the right people there in the right environment, and which will produce those results that are desired.

Stone Payton: [00:11:32] I got to believe just sitting here, hanging out with you in the studio, some of this was just born in you. I could I just I feel that and I sense that this behavior, this value system, this ethos was also modeled really well for you somewhere along your career. Is that accurate?

Ethan Davis: [00:11:50] Very accurate. I’m the oldest of three, so I had a younger brother and sister, but both of my parents, my dad worked for Southwestern Bell, AT&T, Bell South for like 35 years. My mom worked for Sanyo Manufacturing Company for 40 years. So while they were at work, I had to make sure I had to take care of my younger brother and sister then. Plus, my dad was a Sunday school teacher. So, um, there were certain things that, uh. We’re not going to fly in his house. Easy way to put it. So, um, when you’re the oldest, a lot is put on your plate, a lot is put on your table, and you just rise to the occasion.

Stone Payton: [00:12:26] You spoke about roles, so you guys are in a different roles. Kind of make the distinction for me, Katie.

Katie Bowling: [00:12:33] Sure. So with me doing business development, I have a region and, um. Roswell is part of my region. I do North Fulton and East Cobb. And so my job is to go out in the community, be active and involved, build these relationships. And when that person is looking for an auto loan, looking for a mortgage, wanting to switch over their main accounts for a new checking account, I will send them to our branches. They build that trust, I build their trust up and I will set them up with whichever location is nearest to them. So that’s my job is just to really bring the business to the branches. Whereas Ethan being the branch manager, his main focus is Roswell because that’s his office. It’s the Roswell location. So he’ll go out with me to different Roswell events and the branch manager for Alpharetta, she’ll go with me to the Alpharetta events. But, um, it’s it’s actually a very fun role because I do a lot of lunches and meeting and just talking with people, and I’m like, wow, I never thought this was going to be a career for me. It’s fantastic.

Stone Payton: [00:13:42] If I had your job, I’d weighed 300 pounds.

Katie Bowling: [00:13:44] Yes, that happens very easily. You have to be very, in control or have a good mindset like, okay, we don’t want to go there. Dessert. Every meal is not a good idea.

Stone Payton: [00:13:59] Oh my goodness. All right, Ethan, talk to me about products, services. There’s probably an awful lot I suspect, that is available to a customer of LG that they don’t. It’s not on their radar necessarily. Oh, yeah. I hadn’t thought about this or that.

Ethan Davis: [00:14:15] Right. So we have our specialty product. Our main product is our high rewards checking account. Okay. Um, and so with that particular account you can earn up to 3%.

Stone Payton: [00:14:25] But I didn’t know you could earn percent anymore. I thought I thought those days were gone.

Ethan Davis: [00:14:29] And see, that’s the difference between a credit union and a bank. See, we won’t charge you just to put your money in the account with a monthly maintenance fee.

Stone Payton: [00:14:39] Another old show. You remember Beverly Hillbillies, where Drysdale was so nice to the clampetts because he didn’t charge. Right? Right.

Ethan Davis: [00:14:45] So we’re going to give you money if you put money in the account and meet certain criteria. So that’s the difference we don’t want we’re not going to charge you a monthly fee. We’re just going to give you some money, a certain percentage, if you bring your money to us and and do certain criteria. So that’s the reason why you should come to LG.

Stone Payton: [00:15:02] I like it it sounds like he’s said that before. Maybe.

Katie Bowling: [00:15:06] Yeah, I think he’s well trained.

Stone Payton: [00:15:10] And so, uh, the small business owner, that’s a lot of the folks who tap into our work. Uh, what are some things they should be on the lookout for or see in their environment that says, you know what? I really ought to go talk to the LG folks. You know, I’m I’m I don’t know what it might be. You know, I’ve got this line of credit over here. I’ve got these kind of account. I what are some things I should be looking for that say, you know, I probably ought to have a conversation with Ethan or somebody on this team.

Ethan Davis: [00:15:37] One word, four letters. Free, free business checking account.

Stone Payton: [00:15:42] Oh, wow. That’s a very attractive word.

Ethan Davis: [00:15:45] Very attractive word. Free. So we just rolled that out maybe a month or so ago.

Stone Payton: [00:15:51] Oh, okay.

Ethan Davis: [00:15:52] Yeah. So if someone has a small business and they want to, you know, see what it’s like, see what we have to offer, just come in and sit down with one of our financial service specialists and enroll in our free, free business checking account.

Stone Payton: [00:16:06] Got it. And you guys are very, uh. What’s. Take technologically adapted. Or you can do a lot on a computer, correct? Right. With and move money around and set stuff up online banking. You can see how fast all I am.

Ethan Davis: [00:16:21] Yeah, yeah. Our online banking plus uh, the mobile banking and online banking so you can be able to transfer in between accounts. Nice. Um, also we have a snap deposit where you can do your mobile deposits from your phone. Do you have a ATMs? Uh, some branches have multiple ATMs where you can make your deposit at ATM after hours. If we’re not open to make sure you know your cash and deposit checks and get into the account, then you also do withdrawals as well.

Stone Payton: [00:16:45] All right. There was something that I needed signed. Not signed, um, notarized the other day. And I went in and harassed Wesley and, uh, or somebody in there, and they got that done for me, too. There’s a lot you can get done.

Ethan Davis: [00:16:59] A lot, a lot. So, yes, we offer notary services. Uh, we also offer medallion services as well. So whenever you have stock, which you can’t use a notary for, you set an appointment and then want to more than likely to be the branch manager financial center manager. And we’ll take care of that notary service, uh, that medallion service for you as well.

Stone Payton: [00:17:16] See, I guess you got to have a certain amount of money to even know what medallion service is. But that’s not.

Ethan Davis: [00:17:21] Necessarily as long as you have some stock and you want to do some transfers and move something around or redeem something, yes, we can take care of that.

Stone Payton: [00:17:26] For you. Well, that’s good to know. So what is the plan? Are we going to keep opening branches and keep doing it? Because you guys just seem like you’re on fire? Katie.

Katie Bowling: [00:17:36] Yeah, absolutely. That is the plan is to keep growing. And we have, uh, like we are looking at Douglasville. That’s been another area that we are looking to put a branch, uh, wherever we see the need, where we see that our members are going and like, we have to constantly have reports coming to us, showing us where our members are, where they’re going, where they’re shopping because we want to be convenient to them. And, I mean, there is most things you like to do in the comfort of your own home or be able to bank up through your computer. But when they need a branch, we want to be there for them. So as many branches are not as big as what you would normally think, like a bank branch would look like. Mhm. Um, because there’s just not really a need for the big bank branch anymore, having a long line of tellers. Um, back when I was a branch manager, I had four tellers and they were twiddling their thumbs because most people have direct deposit, snap deposit or go to ATM or use their debit card. So it’s just we felt that it’s better suited to have smaller branches but have more locations.

Stone Payton: [00:18:47] I love it and I do. We didn’t mention it earlier, but I have a large beer card. Um, that’s because I well, it’s just reformation here. Here in Woodstock. You got reformation in Queens in that same space, and Queens doesn’t take cash. Okay. And so, um, so I always make sure I have plenty of change deposited over there. And then that card, that’s my reformation slash queens card. So I go get beer and barbecue.

Katie Bowling: [00:19:11] Oh, that’s a good plan. We like it.

Stone Payton: [00:19:13] So why the focus? Why the interest in local charities? I understand enlightened self-interest, maybe to a point of, you know, being out there with the business people. You know, Ashley is, uh, always at the Young Professionals of Woodstock meeting here locally. But, yeah. Um, what is the impetus? What is the the driver for being so invested in supporting, um, charities?

Katie Bowling: [00:19:37] Well, as being a nonprofit ourselves, we want to support a nonprofit. And it’s, you know, sometimes these smaller charities or foundations are forgotten about, and we don’t want them to feel forgotten about. We want to take care of them. They are a big part of our community, and what they do for our community is huge and supporting the less fortunate. Just different things for the schools, for public safety. It’s all of that is so important for everyone to feel supported and we want to do our part. And I mean not just because we want to see business in return. We want them to feel like they really have someone that has their back, whether that is on a financial level or just on a personal level. We’ll take it whatever way we can get it. Just it’s, um, we got to help each other out, be like a true community together.

Stone Payton: [00:20:32] Well, you’re certainly seeing in my song. From a media perspective, my observation is that traditional media is not typically knocking their door down to cover their stories. And that’s one of the things that we enjoy with our community Partner program is to give these folks an opportunity to share their story and promote their work. And it sounds like you’re very invested in that as well.

Katie Bowling: [00:20:52] Absolutely. And we love that you all do that too. Thank you. Yeah.

Stone Payton: [00:20:55] No, it’s our pleasure. Beats the hell out of working.

Ethan Davis: [00:20:59] That it does.

Stone Payton: [00:21:00] Speaking of which, when you’re not working outside the scope of your work and serving the community interests, passions, hobbies, my listeners know I like to hunt, fish and travel. How about anything you have a tendency to nerd out about? Well.

Ethan Davis: [00:21:18] And when you’re married, you have, uh. Was it what did it called? Honey do list. So. So I spend most of my weekend doing doing things like that. So. Okay. Um, painting rooms or putting together a swing or.

Stone Payton: [00:21:31] Oh, my.

Ethan Davis: [00:21:32] Building a fire pit, anything. Anything that anything that she says that needs to be done, that I can actually do and not pay someone for it. I will do it.

Stone Payton: [00:21:41] So it’s like a Home Depot, Lowe’s brand ambassador. I’m the exact opposite. I have no I have two tools at my house, even a telephone and a checkbook. I will write important tools.

Katie Bowling: [00:21:53] We all need those.

Stone Payton: [00:21:54] Oh, good for you. So, Katie, what do you get into when you’re not out in the community or you just are you or do you manage to do it while you’re in the community? You just do both.

Katie Bowling: [00:22:04] Yeah, I mean, definitely with my position with LG, I do a lot of community events on the weekends as well. Oh yeah, which I love. I really, truly enjoy it. Uh, but I also have two daughters that, um, one in elementary and one in high school, so they keep me pretty busy as well. Um, but my husband and I, we also like to play golf together, so when we get some free time, we’ll go out and play 18 holes, or maybe nine, depending on how we feel.

Stone Payton: [00:22:31] I don’t think I have the temperament for golf or the budget because I would I would have to buy a lot of balls.

Katie Bowling: [00:22:37] Yeah, well we do that. We definitely have to, uh, go searching for mini balls and it’s fine.

Stone Payton: [00:22:44] All right, let’s talk about this event again because it’s coming up great.

Ethan Davis: [00:22:49] Uh, May 9th. At 1:00.

Katie Bowling: [00:22:52] That’s right.

Ethan Davis: [00:22:53] 655 Holcomb Bridge Road, Roswell, Georgia 30076. All right.

Stone Payton: [00:22:58] And let’s talk about that cake company again so I can send them an invoice. No I’m kidding.

Katie Bowling: [00:23:04] Nothing Bundt Cakes. They are the best.

Stone Payton: [00:23:05] They are. Yeah. They do some good work over there. All right. What’s the best way for our listeners to tap in. Is it to swing by, stop in their local, uh, branch there in in Roswell? Is it, uh, reach out and connect with you on a on a LinkedIn or what’s the best way? I’ll website whatever.

Ethan Davis: [00:23:22] Yes. You can go to the LG website. And then, um, there’s a tab at the top where it says locations, and you’ll see a picture of myself and a branch, and it gives our address plus the email address. You can drop by any time. And if it’s and if it’s not convenient for you to drop by, you can always schedule an appointment and we’ll we’ll take care of you or.

Stone Payton: [00:23:40] Just go to some community event and people are going to be there. Right?

Ethan Davis: [00:23:43] Right. Yeah. And pretty much if you go to any, any community event, uh, in those uh, eight counties that we’re in, you will see someone from LG there.

Stone Payton: [00:23:52] Just look for the LG e blue right.

Ethan Davis: [00:23:54] Look for the LG blue.

Stone Payton: [00:23:56] Katie, thank you so much for coming back to the studio and introducing us to Ethan. You guys are doing such important work and we we sure appreciate you.

Katie Bowling: [00:24:04] Well thank you. We really appreciate you taking the time to talk with us.

Stone Payton: [00:24:07] Yeah Ethan man, just keep doing just keep it up. I am I’m inspired by what you’re doing. And, uh, we really do sincerely appreciate your your contribution, your commitment to community and your change machine.

Ethan Davis: [00:24:22] All right. Not a problem. Great meeting you. So.

Stone Payton: [00:24:25] Oh, it’s my pleasure. Alright, until next time. This is Stone Payton for our guest today, Katie Bowling and Ethan Davis and everyone here at the Business RadioX family saying we’ll see you again on Atlanta Business Radio.