Effingham County builders and contractors have a new face to turn to for loans at The Coastal Bank’s Rincon office.
The community bank recently hired Pamela E. Parker as senior vice president for the commercial real estate division. Parker works alongside Senior Credit Officer Chap Bennett to serve the Effingham County market to its full potential. Bennett has been in charge of commercial real estate loans and business development in Effingham County since The Coastal Bank opened its Rincon office.
“As a community lender, The Coastal Bank has always had an intense focus on real estate lending, small business banking and retail banking,” Bennett said. “This has been especially important in the Effingham County area, which has had a lot of emphasis on development, real estate and construction.”
While always available to his loyal customers, Bennett’s wealth of experience has prompted The Coastal Bank to assign him additional duties bank-wide. To make sure that Effingham customers receive the same high level of service to which they are accustomed, Parker is assisting Bennett with the extensive commercial real estate loan portfolio in the region.
“The Effingham County market is an important market to The Coastal Bank,” Parker said. “It is an integral part of our client base and our market focus.”
A 24-year veteran in the banking and financial industry, Parker is no stranger to the Effingham County market. Some of her Effingham County banking relationships date back to 1995, which is when she began specializing in commercial real estate. Some major projects that she financed in the area include the Holiday Inn Express and the Hampton Inn at the intersection of Interstate 95 and Highway 21 as well as various other retail, industrial and land development deals.
“Some of my original clients are in the Effingham market,” Parker said. “Along with Chap Bennett, I hope to further those relationships as well as develop new relationships with builders in the region.”
Parker brings extensive experience to The Coastal Bank’s management team having worked for several large regional banks in the area as well as being the director of business development with Catamount Constructors, Inc. in Savannah, where she developed and pursued projects in the commercial construction industry and identified new opportunities along the Southeast coast.
Born and raised in Savannah, Parker is familiar with the needs of the region and has established long lasting relationships with many builders in the area including those in Effingham County. For her education, Parker stayed local receiving a BA from Armstrong Atlantic State University before continuing her education with an MBA from Georgia Southern University.
Customers familiar with Bennett’s extensive community service record as former chairman of the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority and the Division One Chairman for the Community Bankers Association of Georgia, will be equally impressed with Parker’s devotion to the community.
As a new assistant governor of the Savannah area Rotary District 6920, Parker oversees five clubs in the region. An avid community volunteer, she is a past president of Rotary Club of Savannah West and was named their “Rotarian of the Year” for 2008-2009. Parker, a graduate of Leadership Savannah, also serves on the Campaign Cabinet for United Way of the Coastal Empire and volunteers with Live Oak Public Libraries and Rebuilding Together Savannah.
Locally owned and operated, The Coastal Bank first moved into the Effingham County market in 2003. Prompted by the region’s rapid growth, The Coastal Bank opened a permanent Rincon office at 5799 Highway 21 South in 2005.