Stacy M. Brantley, CPA
EVP & Chief Banking Officer
Morris Bank
Dublin, GA
Chair, GBA Credit Committee
Q: What was your first job, and was there a lesson you learned there that you still use today?
A: My first paying job was with my neighbor’s company installing fences. Digging holes and pouring concrete in the Georgia summers helped reinforce my work ethic and made me absolutely certain that I wanted to go to college.
Q: What drew you to the banking/financial services industry?
A: I spent the first five years of my career in public accounting and was primarily focused on bank audits and services. I was fortunate to meet and learn from a number of great bankers during that time. When I was offered the opportunity to make the switch to banking, I turned down the offer. My good friend and former public accounting colleague, Spence Mullis, talked me into reconsidering and I went back and accepted. It was one of the best decisions of my life. I have been blessed to spend the last eighteen years in community banking.
Q: When you think about the future of the banking industry, what makes you hopeful and what makes you concerned?
A: Community banking is still a people business; on both sides of the transaction. You can’t replace the relationship between consumers, businesses, and their bankers with an app or a website. You can add a delivery channel but you can’t replace that relationship. I believe technology will help us better serve our customers, not replace us as bankers. My biggest concern for the industry is our ability to attract talented young people. We lost a generation of bankers during the Great Recession and the challenge now is getting our message out to the leaders of tomorrow.
Q: If you could thank someone for becoming the professional you are today, who would it be and why?
A: Both Farrell and Marlan Nichols at Nichols, Cauley, and Associates have had a tremendous impact on my career. Farrell was a stickler for professional behavior right down to the way you answered the phone. He was very supportive of me and several others that left his firm right up to his passing. He was a stalwart of business in the Laurens County and Middle Georgia area. Marlan has also been a tremendous support and great sounding board over the years and has had a tremendous influence on my career. I consider myself lucky to have had the Nichols brothers as mentors along my career path.
Q: What would someone be surprised to learn about you?
A: No real surprises here. I’m just a regular guy who’s a devoted father, UGA fan, and loves to hunt most anything with feathers. I also enjoy doing a little umpiring for the local little league when time allows.