BankTennessee Breaks Ground for Headquarters

– The Collierville Herald –

Dirt was turned Tuesday at 10 a.m. at 1124 W. Poplar, the site of the new BankTennessee headquarters, located at the entrance to Schilling Farms.

The chairman of the bank board, Joel Porter, and Mayor Herman Cox, and Lt. Gov. John Wilder, both directors of the bank, were speakers at the ground breaking. Jack Everett, president of BankTennessee, introduced the speakers, saying the BankTennessee banks were closed for the event, "an unprecedented thing."

A large crowd was gathered on the edge of the property near where a Norfolk Southern railroad crossing is being built just south of Poplar at Poplar View. Chill winds and a sunny sky greeted the guests.

It was a time of remembrance. The bank, originally First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Memphis, was acquired in 1992 by a small group of shareholders, headed by three current directors, Porter, Wilder and Everett.

The bank’s name was changed to BankTennessee and converted from a federal bank to a state-chartered bank in 1997. It’s the only bank chartered and headquartered in Collierville. Currently the bank is located at 354 New Byhalia Rd.

The BankTennessee board also includes Tom Brooks, Wright Cox, Frank Inman, Randy Lankford, Jimmy Lott, Crawford McDonald, Wayne Rodgers, John Shepherd and Eugene Smith.