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AWARD RECIPIENT
If you work for Drake Mills, you need not worry about being told what to do at every turn. As president and CEO at Community Trust Bank, Mills takes great joy in seeing young leaders advance in the organization and apply their talents to help the bank service its customers better.
He doesn’t leave them completely on their own, but rather sets a course and lets them figure out the best way to follow it. He measures and advises, but he doesn’t micromanage, and the approach has enabled his team to stay together and work quite effectively as a group. He has not lost a vice president or higher level senior leader in six years.
Community Trust Bank has grown substantially over the past 10 years with much of that growth coming during a recession that has hampered many businesses, specifically those in the financial industry. The growth of credit unions has provided another potential hurdle.
But Mills has proven adept at working through challenges by knowing when to take risks and when to be more cautious.
He is also a big believer in building and maintaining a healthy corporate culture. To that end, he created a Culture Council to help define, manage and continuously enhance the company’s workplace and deal with any issues that arise. He also created an entire department devoted to ensuring that the culture remains consistent as the company continues to grow.
The result is a company that provides exceptional customer service and a dynamic work environment that contributes to the performance of the bank and helps Community Trust retain best-in-class talent.
When the work is done, Mills takes his commitment to people another step further by getting involved in causes such as the Boys and Girls Club of North Central Louisiana and the United Way of Northeast Louisiana. Employees also can get up to 20 hours of paid time each year to work on charitable causes.
How to reach: Community Trust Bank, http://www.ctbonline.com
