Page 40 - Jan 2013

40 | Business World Magazine | January 2013
team is new, the board is new. We’ve put
in place everything necessary to complete
cleaning-up the asset quality issues that were
a by-product of the economic downturn,
we’ve been engaged in raising capital, have
added new products and services … but more
than anything, we’ve created a culture of ac-
countability…” says Kramer. “We feel all the
track has now been laid, and we’re ready to
put the locomotive on it.”
To accomplish the turn-around, Kramer
says his team began by determining exactly
what kind of bank they wanted to brand.
That focus essentially relied on a return to
the original vision and foundation on which
the bank was meant to be built. “Part of the
appeal of this market is the number of small
to medium-sized businesses,” says Kramer.
“This region has always been a great place
to do business, just consider operations like
the Oakridge Laboratory, or the Volkswagen
manufacturing plant, or Alstrom… we have
large businesses which have helped spin-off
a great number of smaller businesses.” With
such as the case, FSG Bank determined to
become a great business bank. This meant
abandoning former focus in commercial real
estate, as Kramer says, “we will still pursue
Mike Kramer - Chief Executive Officer
Photo by Jake Daniels.