Debbie Bailey:  

All about working: Well, I worked in the restaurant (Hungry Fisherman-where I had worked summers since age 15) & retail fields (JC Penny-Sunshine & Tyrone Malls) after school. In 1984 I went to Tampa College & completed the Medical Asst. Course with 3.8 gpa ....after which found out Dr's really wanted RN's & the job paid $4/hr. After a few more restaurants, I got a job in the mail room of Goldome Savings Bank. Perfect for my social personality, we would rotate weekly with 2 weeks driving work, one local to the Tyrone area 3x/day & one to Palmetto (across the Sunshine Skyway :o}) 2x/day, later shortened to 1x/day taking lunch in Palmetto to wait for more to bring back to St. Pete. During that time,I had the distinct experience of driving the single span on the old 50's Skyway Bridge after the accident that knocked one side into the sea. It was a bit harrowing 1 week in 1989, you may remember when it rained for 5 nights & 4 days - that was my 2x/day Palmetto week. The bank eventually consolidated & moved the mail room back to Palmetto, so I was able to stay in St. Pete. & get a job in the bank's 1-800 call center, Kwik-Line. Having been noticed by Lana, the woman in charge of the call center, while bouncing around making pick-ups & deliveries, she knew I would be good at it before I did. In a short period, I became a top 'incentive' earner & learned so much in & around banking. While the Savings & Loan uncertainty was building, I sought a 'safer' position as a teller in a branch at Disston Plaza. I enjoyed putting all that I'd learned into the more personal service in branch banking. Having come from power-house bosses (can't forget DianeM!) in Kwik-Line, I was equally inspired by my Branch Manager, Jan. We survived being 1 of the longest S & L's run by the Govt. regulators & were eventually saved by a great Michigan/MidWestern based bank, First of America. Due to circumstances of my husband taking a job in Citrus County, I requested a transfer to the only branch of our bank in Citrus & we moved there in Spring 1994. While there, I was a CSR & was promoted to Assistant Branch Manager. A few years later, due to further circumstances of my husband's, moved back to Pinellas County & joined the bank's In-Store Bank program. I had been seeking to become a part of In-Store banking from first seeing a film in a meeting I attended with my Citrus County manager. It seemed to be the future of banking. I waited to meet & shake hands with Keith, so he would know my name! The first In-Store I worked in was at the old Sears Town (erra 70's) location, in the Lakeview Albertsons, where I trained my boss & worked with many stellar individuals. I was soon rewarded when he moved to managing a Tampa branch, when I was promoted to Branch Manager in 1997. Not bad for starting in the Mail Room 10 years ago. ;p} In 1998, I was asked to take over the more difficult location of East Bay & Belcher, where they'd had problems that frankly sound fictional, you'll have to read my book, one day. Really. While life goes on, our great First of America had decided to sell us. We were just trying to convince our customers that Barnett would be worth staying for & the news reports...Expand for more