When Kim welcomes you into our Northeast location, you know you’ll be taken care of. She’s not afraid to help you get to where you need to go, but she asks you to be ready to go there, too.
Kim’s responsibilities as a branch manager at our Northeast location include day-to-day operations like opening and closing the branch, creating a schedule for her team, and leading team training. She believes strongly in being an active member of her team, insisting that she wouldn’t ask a team member to do something she wouldn’t do herself. Kim is passionate about the idea of “bringing up the next generation” of her team members, believing strongly in cross-training and mentoring her team. If and when our tellers feel ready for another step, Kim is there to help guide them through the process of becoming a member service representative and beyond. She enjoys being a part of a team of unique individuals, all bringing different life experiences to the table. She exemplifies AllSouth’s mission, doing her part to make the every day possible for her team and our members.
Kim has been with us since 2004 when her family relocated to Columbia to be around the Fort Jackson base. Kim had previous financial experience and knew that credit unions were the way to go, so AllSouth was a natural fit for her. Her favorite part of her job is the unique opportunity to help others by assisting our members and mentoring her team. Kim's supervisor Misty shared that, "Kim has built a strong rapport with the members at the Northeast branch. She is dedicated to providing exceptional member service to her members. As a result, Kim has a loyal following of many long-term members."
Being able to create and maintain relationships with people is what inspires Kim. She reflected on how members who used to come into our Dutch Square location, where she worked before transferring to our Northeast location, would make the trip to visit her at Northeast because they knew she was somebody who really wanted the best for them. Working with some of these members for over 15 years, Kim has seen families grow up and even has connections with multiple generations.
Kim believes a big part of her success both as a manager of her team and with AllSouth members is because of her honesty. By placing a high value on honesty, respect, and communication, she can show just how much she cares for her team, encouraging them to treat each other and our members with the same respect that Kim shows them. She supports her team by making sure they are trained and able to do what they need to do, but they also know they can always come to her for help if they need it.
Our team’s job is to use their knowledge of finances to help our members find the best fit to fulfill their dreams. Kim accomplishes this by cross-training her team and exemplifying values of honesty and respect. When talking about her experiences at AllSouth over the years, the experiences she remembered as most influential involved someone coming back later and thanking her for helping to get them on the right track, encouraging them not to give up on their finances. One story that really stood out was about a member who came to Kim with concerns about his credit. After listening to the member, Kim provided information about steps that could be taken to improve his credit, and she let him know that it could take some time. After that initial meeting, she didn't hear from the member for a long time. When the member returned to see Kim three years later, he explained he wasn't ready to make the changes when he saw her years ago but was ready now. This member is now a homeowner, and Kim has since assisted the member for years, including helping him with multiple Auto Loans.
As many of our AllStars have said, rising costs and inflation have been the biggest challenges for our members this year when it comes to managing their finances. Kim explained that a lot of members walk in unsure of what product would best suit their needs. She said that she has listened to their concerns and recommended products to assist members with everything from consolidating debt to budgeting. One couple came in for a Personal Loan, but with Kim’s assistance, the members actually ended up with a Mortgage, which helped to consolidate their debt and shrink their monthly expenses from $3,500 to $900.
When Kim isn’t helping our members make the every day possible, she can often be found enjoying the outdoors. Kim loves hiking and biking with her husband, especially at Table Rock. Kim has two girls, now grown, whom she has been able to instill her wisdom of finances into. Her identity as a mother definitely shapes the way she cares about her team and our members. Kim has also historically been involved in her local Kiwanis club and an organization called Brett’s Rainbow, which she feels strongly ties her to her community.