Despite those headwinds, AB&T’s long-standing commitment to true relationship banking has continued having a positive impact on clients and community, while also bolstering the balance sheet.

“There will always be something,” AB&T CEO Perry Revell said. “There are so many things in banking that are out of our control. We don’t set the interest rate environment and we don’t set the regulatory posture. We don’t control any of that. What do control is us, how we operate. Regardless of the noise of the day, we are still seeking deeper connections and finding ways to positively impact our clients. No matter what’s happening with inflation, interest rates, whatever, we keep our focus where it always should be—on our clients and community and delivering solutions to meet their needs.”

Keeping the focus squarely on client needs, no matter how large or small, has allowed AB&T to not only navigate recent economic cycles, but continue to thrive.

Like the prior year, 2024 is tracking to be one of the best in the bank’s history, as evidenced by sustained strength across the balance sheet, but most evident in the bank’s deposits, which grew 3.9 percent in 3Q24 compared to 3Q23.

But while the bank’s balance sheet clearly illustrates solid performance, real success for AB&T comes in the ways the bank has continued touching lives in a meaningful way.

Success was seen when Branch Manager Alexis Williams recently drove to the home of a long-time senior client who had been the victim of fraud, to help her and her infirmed spouse access their online banking on their new home computer.

Success was also seen when Williams helped new entrepreneur Ryan Layfield open his first business account, and continue chasing his dream of being his own boss.

“I love AB&T,” Layfield said. “I’ve had bank accounts before but I didn’t know the first thing about setting up a business account. Alexis and Brad (McEwen, SVP of Branch Banking and Brand Execution) not only set up the account, they took the time to educate me on things I just didn’t know about, or didn’t even know I needed to know about. I’ve never run a business so there’s a bunch of stuff I need to learn and I need a lot of help.

“I’m pretty sure I could get a business account at any bank, but I don’t think I could get that kind of support anywhere else. It’s obvious that they really care about and want me to be successful. That’s huge.”

Layfield’s encounters mirror the experiences of area musician and fitness coach Vernon Cruz who recently worked with Relationship Banker Allison Edwards as he opened Tribal Fitness, thus venturing into new and uncharted territory. Like Layfield, Cruz is a relatively new business owner whose talents lie in infectiously inspiring and motivating folks to live a healthier lifestyle, and not necessarily in mastery of business principles.

But fortunately for Cruz, the relationship he’s forged with Edwards has helped him chart a course forward so he can continue building and sustaining his family business well into the future and keep doing what he does best. And he’s happy to share that fact with just about anyone who comes into his orbit.

“Man, Alli’s the best,” Cruz said. “She’s part of the Tribal family. I can’t thank her enough for all of the help and support she’s given us. She’s a truly awesome person.”

What impressed Cruz the most about Edwards, and the rest of AB&T, was the fact that the entire team has been more focused on he and Tribal being successful than in figuring out a way to sell him something.

While he certainly needed to set up deposit accounts and the like to operate the business, Cruz said what AB&T provided was more than a product. Edwards, he said, approached the relationship holistically, taking the time to understand Tribal Fitness, both culturally and operationally, in order to be an advisor and true resource. It’s the sharing of that wisdom and knowledge that Cruz said has been the real power of the relationship.

“What’s great about Alli, what I love, is that she has a process,” Cruz explained. “She knows what she’s doing and what she needs to understand in order to help. And she’s kept me on track with what matters, what I need to be thinking about. When we met she didn’t know me. But she took the time to talk to me, to really get to know me. And my business. She paid attention and asked specific questions, stuff I didn’t even know to think about. She really dug in.”

That process, Cruz said, was near and dear to his heart, as it paralleled what he does with his clients.

“It’s like what we do here,” he said. “Tribal’s not for everybody. What we do is very specific to each person. All of our clients have an individual plan that we build together. I consult with them at the beginning and then we meet regularly for check-ins and talk through what’s next for them. Each person’s fitness plan, nutrition plan, is customized to them and there’s accountability too. I don’t want to just take folk’s money. I want them to get what they are looking for; to get healthier physically, mentally and spiritually. That’s what gets me going. But not everyone wants that. That’s cool. Tribal is not one size fits all.

“Working with Alli is like that. She wants to have a real relationship. She wants to understand me and then help me meet the goals that matter to me. That’s where it’s at.”

As AB&T readies for the start of 2025, it will continue doing what it does best, forging relationships, providing guidance and impacting lives for the better.