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Hello

Thanks for stopping by. 

 

I've included my personal testimony. Though everyone's walk is unique, perhaps we have some shared experiences.  With age seems to come the belief we are more alike than different.  

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I've included my CV as well.  Best - Chris

My Testimony

In 6th grade, I became very sick with an undiagnosed illness.  Two years later, I was 5'8 and about 85lbs when a physician named the problem - Crohn's Disease.

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I spent the next couple of months in the hospital.  As a twelve-year-old I was placed on the adult critical care floor.  Each night I listened to patients "Code."  I did this alone, as in those days, parents were not allowed to stay past visiting hours.  Though I had been Baptized and Confirmed in the church, until that point, I had no real connection to Our Savior.  Night after night I prayed to Our Father.  Ultimately, they would remove about a yard-and-a half of my small intestine.  The doctors outlined a limited life without much physical growth.  A few short years later, as a result of the prayers of so many, I stood 6'3 and 215lbs.

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During the latter half of high school and college, I drifted away from God.  Though I was still involved in FCA and other Christian groups, my involvement was superficial.  This trend continued over my 20-year marriage.  My wife and I attended church.  We went to services, hosted small groups and volunteered, but in retrospect it was perfunctory on our part.  After all, life was so good.  We had two beautiful children, drove luxury cars, and purchased a 7-bedroom Parade of Homes "Dream Residence",  Then came 2008.

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The bank I had become CEO of was under tremendous pressure due to the collapse of the real estate market.  Tension in our household mounted.  Prideful and arrogant, I chose to work 12 hours a day.  I ws sure I could save the bank and, in the process, make a lot of money.  It ultimately closed.  My marriage ended.  A decade of bitterness ensued.  

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Eventually I found my way back to church.  Specifically, Seacoast Church in Mt. Pleasant, SC.  I began to serve on the parking team, volunteer for ministry work and attend small group.  On a trip to see my sister, Sherry Worel, I had breakfast with her Pastor, Chet Lowe.  He challenged me in a manner perhaps no one ever had.  I spent ten days sequestered at a friend's house.  I prayed and tried to be still and listen.  What followed was a wonderful season working on church staff at Definition Church in Greensboro, NC

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As God so often does, he wove together an amazing story.  During Covid we were able to start a food bank that is now a free, self-shopping grocery store.  A medical partnership with a regional health provider was developed to do free screenings, inoculations and awareness programs.  A day care center was initiated just when so many were closing.  And a SaaS based Christian leadership institute was launched.

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During another visit to see my sister, Pastor Chet told me to be open of a Christian woman coming into my life.  A couple months later, twelve years after my divorce I met Kim Click.  Now happily remarried, we share 5 adult children. 

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It's incredible what The Lord does when we just listen and follow.  So that is what I and my team are attempting to do now.  We're passionate about empowering business owners to create a lasting legacy through their generosity.

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My CV

Professional Accomplishments

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  • Corporate Banking Advisory.  Restructured organizations of all sizes, across many industries.

  • Buy-side representation and capital deck structuring for middle market companies ($10 -$500 million).

  • Sell-Side Consulting.  Help companies prepare for sale.  Maximize value.  Find a buyer.  (Representative transactions: $225 million insurance company, $340 million software firm, $75 million steel company.)

  • Capital Markets transactions for bond issuance, commercial paper, derivatives, conduit financing, & more.

  • First management role was operating a $250 million/year real estate division in Southwest Florida.

  • Initial Bank President role at 32 years old.  Ran $1 billion bank in South Georgia.

  • Built 87 location Bank from scratch to $1.5 billion in assets.  All real estate due diligence, contract negotiation, site planning, acquisition and design.  Responsible for Operations, IT, Finance, HR & Call Centers for $25 billion holding company. 

  • Partnered with Wal Mart in the operation of 22 banks.  Wal Mart now has over 700 in-store banks.

  • Bought two mortgage companies, several asset management groups, Brokerage & Trust operations, other banks (including a Hispanic Financial Institution).  Managed $12 billion acquisition of large bank.

  • As President of another Bank, raised $70 million in capital from Wall Street.  Built operating backbone.  Recruited and initiated operations across more than a dozen cities nationally.  Round two of capital was for $75 million.

  • As Managing Director of a SaaS startup, worked with engineers to map desired functionality.  Created marketing plan for product now in use by more than 200 large companies.  Partnered with Salesforce.  Company now does more than $500 million in annual revenue.

  • Acquired banks for Family Office.  Rolled operations into holding company.  Ran Operations, IT, Retail Banking, Cash Management, HR & Asset Based Lending.

  • Took bank that had been unprofitable for 13 years and made it profitable in 12 months.  Increase profits each year for the next 3 years. 

 

Non-Profit Work

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  • Started Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Southwest Florida.  Funded by starting senior tennis tournament with former major winners playing.

  • Started a Food Bank.  Now a free grocery store that has served more than 150,000 in need.  Started a free medical clinic. Started a low-cost day care.

  • Developed discipleship training platform under SaaS format.

  • Helped church acquire real estate for future main campus: a lease-purchase followed by a land swap to acquire site without money out-of-pocket.  Property now held in trust by third party until church ready to begin construction.

  • Served on dozens of Boards (Including the Georgia Port Authority, other Economic Development Authorities. & Small Business Investment Corporations.)  Board member Equal Opportunity Employment Commission Georgia.  A regular volunteer for many church ministries and non-profit events.

  • Ran total resource campaigns in large cities for Chambers of Commerce, United Ways, and other organizations.

 

Skills

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  • Led both small (10s) and large teams  (100s).  I’m a builder and “fixer”.

    • Love discovering what motivates people.  Helping them find their “win”.  I work directly with others as a teammate. 

    • Strategic planning.  Agenda setting.  Presentations.  Ongoing communication.  Problem solving.  Conflict resolution. Empathetic coaching.   

    • Commercial acumen.  Delivering results.  Cash flow management.

    • General Ledger creation.  Budgeting.  Financial statement prep.  QuickBooks, other financial tools.

    • Joint ventures.  Negotiation.

    • Process management.  Gantt charts.

    • Vendor management.  Supplier certification.

    • Risk management.  Cost-benefit analysis.  Breakeven analysis. 

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Education

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  • Double Major in Management & Finance, Minor in Business Statistics.  Jacksonville State University.

  • Series 63, 7 & 24 Investment Banking Licenses.  Commercial Real Estate License.  Mortgage Broker License.

  • Two-year Management Trainee Program:  Operations, Retail Banking, IT, Finance, HR, Business, Commercial & Corporate Banking, Brokerage, Investment Banking, Legal, Treasury Management, Credit, Risk Management, Compliance, Audit & International Finance.

  • Louisiana State University, Graduate School of Banking & Finance.

  • Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.  Managing High-Growth Organizations.

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Physical Accomplishments

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  • 5 marathons.  Dozens of half marathons.  Sprint series Triathlons.  1 Half-Iron Man (70.3 miles).

  • Climbed 13/15 highest continental US Peaks.  Century Bike Race (100 miles).  50-mile Wilderness Race.

  • Adventure races.  CrossFit competitions.

  • Sky dived.  White water rafted the Colorado.  Bungee jumped.  Flew biplane.  Bobsledded Olympic course.  Rode bronco in a rodeo (2 seconds).  Scuba dove with sharks.  Raced America’s Cup yacht. 

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Other Personal Accomplishments

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  • Columnist for Foundation Focus Magazine, a publication of the national Crohn’s & Colitis Foundations.  Spoke at events for CCFA.

  • Wrote book:  How to Obtain Business Capital, Ingram Books.  Did radio & in-person promotional tour.

  • National event speaker:  Technology in Banking, Board Formation & Governance, Six Sigma Programs, Business Operating Methods, more.

  • Georgia Trend Magazine recipient:  Top 40 Under 40

  • Served:  Georgia CEO Council

  • President of two “Best Places to Work” in different states.

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