United Community Bank adds experienced local banker Russ Williams to Greenville team
April 20, 2016
GREENVILLE, SC – United Community Bank is pleased to welcome Russ Williams to the Greenville team as Senior Vice President, Commercial Relationship Manager. Williams joins United Community Bank with more than 30 years of banking experience. Many of those years were spent in executive leadership roles, including nearly a decade as chief executive officer of BankGreenville, which Williams helped to found in 2005.
“Russ Williams is a tremendously skilled and experienced banker,” said Michelle Seaver, President of United Community Bank in Greenville County. “Russ has a very deep understanding of the Greenville community and knows how to help our customers achieve their financial goals.”
Russ Williams joins United Community Bank after founding BankGreenville more than ten years ago. He served as chief executive officer for eight years until successfully selling the bank to an Asheville-based community bank and introducing that brand to the Greenville market. Prior to BankGreenville, Williams worked for several other Upstate banks, including The Palmetto Bank, which recently merged into United Community Bank. He has specialized in commercial and retail banking activities throughout his career.
“I am pleased to join a bank with such a significant and growing presence in Greenville and South Carolina,” said Williams. “Our unique business model includes a high level of empowerment and local decision-making which allows us to be flexible and responsive. This model allows us to provide high quality community bank service coupled with the lending capacity and product offerings of the larger banks.”
In addition to his banking experience, Williams has been significantly involved in several community organizations. He is currently Chairman of the Financial Stability Impact Council for the United Way of Greenville County as well as a member of the SCBA Economic Development Committee and the Western Carolinas JDRF Development Committee.
“I am proud to work with a bank that is both committed to the growth of this market and a provider of high quality community banking services to businesses and families in the Upstate,” said Williams. “Community focused banks like United are key contributors of both financial resources and leadership in the effort to improve their communities.”
Williams and his wife Josie have lived in Greenville for more than 30 years, and have raised three children during that time. Williams is a graduate of Davidson College in North Carolina and received a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn.
About United Community Bank
United Community Banks, Inc. (NASDAQ:UCBI) is a registered bank holding company based in Blairsville, Georgia, with $9.6 billion in assets. The company’s banking subsidiary, United Community Bank, is one of the Southeast region’s largest full-service banks, operating in 134 offices in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The bank specializes in providing personalized community banking services to individuals, small businesses and corporations. Services include a full range of consumer and commercial banking products, including mortgage, advisory and treasury management. United Community Bank is consistently recognized for its outstanding customer service by respected national research firms. In 2014 and 2015, United Community Bank was ranked first in customer satisfaction in the southeast by J.D. Power and again in 2016 was ranked among the top 100 on Forbes’ list of America’s Best Bank. Additional information about the company and the bank’s full range of products and services can be found at ucbi.com.
