For over a hundred years, the banks in Tampa were locally-owned and in most cases, managed by the people who were the principal owners. They knew their customers and their customers knew them. I don't need to tell you how all of that has changed. If you ask anyone relying on a large bank about their attitude towards that bank, you will most likely get a response ranging from general dissatisfaction to complete frustration. The continued bank mergers, combined with the change from bankers with deep roots in Tampa to bankers working their way up the corporate ladder, has made it clear to me that the focus of the large banks is on sales rather than quality service. In 1984, I was privileged to join a group of Tampa's civic and business leaders in the purchase of a small neighborhood bank near St. Joseph's Hospital. Since that time, The Bank of Tampa has evolved into the largest independently owned bank in the Tampa Bay area and one of the 15 largest in Florida.
Our goal then was the same as it is today—to build a bank based on service, to meet the needs of the businesses and professionals in Hillsborough County, to know our clients, to provide our staff with a good place to work, and to be an institution that helps make Tampa a better place for us all. Our values continue to be centered on personal service, trust, respect, high ethical standards, and confidentiality. We invite you to join us.
Sincerely,