Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 4, 1993 TAG: 9304040174
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: D-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: New River Valley bureau
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
`ROOTS WHERE OTHERS HAVE BRANCHES'
Eleven investors gathered on the steps of the old Pulaski County Courthouse on Saturday to announce plans for a community bank in the town of Pulaski."We will have our roots where the others have their branches," said Wayne Carpenter, who will be the chief organizer for the proposed Community National Bank in the months ahead.
He said the average time between the decision to establish a community bank and actually getting its doors open is 15 to 18 months.
Carpenter said surveys have been made in Pulaski County to see whether a locally owned and locally operated bank that keeps its banking decisions within the county would get support.
"The people of our area have spoken, and they've said they would rather bank with local folks than have their money controlled by big and impersonal banking conglomerates based elsewhere," he said.
Until he resigned Friday to pursue the project, Carpenter was an officer with NationsBank in Pulaski.
The other investors are: Hiawatha Nicely, vice president for operations and administration with Magnox Inc. in Pulaski, and Jack Bolling, with the Fairlawn contracting firm H.T. Bolling & Sons, both of whom live in Dublin.
Dr. Carole Pratt, a dentist; Dr. Nathan Tuck, a chiropractor, and Jack Bruce, a lawyer with a Pulaski law firm, all of Pulaski County; Randy Chrisley, vice president of sales with Pulaski Furniture, of Draper.
James Webb, one of the owners of Old Dominion Insurance; David Wine, owner of Advanced Health Care Services; Sybil Atkinson, a former teacher and chairman of the Pulaski County Republican Party; Dave Ratcliff Jr., director of finance and administration with Hercules Inc., all of Pulaski.
All have been active in various civic activities. Carpenter has worked with the Pulaski Main Street program. Pratt is a former chairwoman of the State Board of Health. Tuck and Atkinson both serve on the Pulaski County School Board.
The investors have hired Bank Consultants Inc. of Atlanta as their consultant. Carpenter said BCI had assisted in the opening of about 50 banks from Maryland to Florida.
"I wish there were more details that we could give you but, right now, we're still in the early stages," Carpenter said. "This is the beginning of a big step for all of us and I look forward to it personally."
No temporary office space has been secured, but Carpenter will be working on that as well as with real estate representatives and land owners for a permanent site.