As president and chief executive officer of Citizens Bank and Trust, which is based in Lake Wales, Greg Littleton makes a difference in the lives of people in his community. Citizens Bank and Trust is a locally owned community bank that was founded in 1920 by Latt Maxcy and a group of local businessmen. As Polk County's oldest bank, Citizens continues to provide customers with quality financial products and superior customer service, according to its Web site. In his role as CEO, Littleton strives to maintain the community-oriented focus of the bank.
Name: Greg Littleton
Age: 41
Family: Married to Julie for 19 years, 2 daughters: Currie Ann, 13, and Anna Beth, 10
Resident of Winter Haven for how long: Born in Winter Haven, grew up in Auburndale, currently in Winter Haven for 15 years
How long have you worked with Citizens Bank and Trust? 12 years
How has your role changed at the bank over the years? Started as vice president and Lake Wales branch manager in 1997, became the bank's executive vice president in 1999, became president in May of 2001.
What is your current title? President and chief executive officer and also serve as a member of the board of directors.
How long have you held this title? Eight years.
What responsibilities does your job entail? I am responsible for all operations of the bank. That includes all financial and regulatory matters, planning and executing growth strategies of loans, deposits, overall assets, as well as the physical locations of the bank and ensuring the bank is responsible with its relations and activities in the communities it serves.
Tell me about your community involvement: My work allows me to be involved throughout our county in many ways. I am the past president of the Lake Wales Chamber of Commerce, the past chairman of the East Polk Committee of 100 and the past chairman of the Central Florida Development Council. I am also a former member of the board of directors of the Lake Wales Main Street and the Lake Wales Arts Council. I currently serve on the board of directors of the Polk Museum of Art, the board of directors for the Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce, am a member of the executive committee of Polk Vision, and am the vice chair of the board of trustees for Polk State College. I am also on the board of directors for our state banking association, the Florida Bankers Association and also serve on the board of the Florida Bank Pac.
Why is your work meaningful to you? My work is meaningful to me for many reasons. Our bank is truly able to make a difference in the lives of many residents of Polk County.
Being a locally owned community bank, we are able to be very nimble and flexible and have been able to help the county's citizens time and time again with financing homes and businesses. We've been able to do things like finance the adoption of a child or save a home from foreclosure. We can't always pull off the impossible, but we try to be there for them through the good times and the bad. It's also very meaningful to me to be able to assemble the best and brightest team of bankers I've ever seen at one institution. We consider ourselves to be a family, and it's not just something we say, we practice it every day. We genuinely care about each other, both personally and professionally. I believe that kind of bond is special and doesn't come along very often.
I also believe that kind of caring is evident to our customers and is passed along to them and shows in the style of service that we are proud to deliver from our offices each and every day.
How do you feel you make a difference in East Polk County? We take our corporate responsibility very seriously. We encourage, and expect, our folks to be involved in their communities.
We give back to the communities that have been so good to us through volunteer hours as well as hard dollars we donate to worthwhile causes. In 2008 alone, we put approximately $180,000 in donations and sponsorships into the communities we serve while logging more than 5,000 volunteer hours. Hopefully, we are helping to make a difference.
What do you enjoy most about East Polk County? I love the small-town atmosphere while having all of the amenities that make East Polk County a comfortable place to live. It's so nice to move about the east side of our county and know so many people, know their families and have a relationship with them. While there is a healthy sense of pride in each community, each cares about the other and wants the best for each other.
What challenges have you faced throughout your career, and how have you overcome them? Hopefully, we are all facing the most challenging times we'll see in our careers and lifetimes right now. Paying closer attention to detail and trying your best to do what's right will see us through these times. I am convinced we'll all be better businesspeople on the other side of these challenging economic times.
What goals do you have, professionally and personally? My goals are really pretty simple. I want to always strive to do what's right for the people who are counting on me.
