Letter from our Chairman

Dear Friends, 

Recently, a good friend thoughtfully gave me a terrific new book, Unreasonable Hospitality, authored by Will Guidara. It is a story of how Mr. Guidara and his team took a struggling two-star brasserie in New York, Eleven Madison Park, into being named the best restaurant in the world by providing extraordinary experiences beyond the norm.    

Simon Sinek wrote a beautiful foreword introducing the book where he said, “Will shows the amazing impact we can have on someone’s life when we give them a sense of belonging…. and as important, how inspiring it is to work together to give people that feeling.”   

As I read that, it gave me a sense of déjà vu. TowneBank was born from a dream to be the most respected bank by becoming a great community asset in the communities we serve. How would we do that?   

In 1998, nearly a year before the bank would open its doors for the first time, a mission statement was written that began with, 

TowneBank will be a relationship and friendship driven local bank focused on basic human values that will serve to create a warm sense of belonging.    

So, that my friends, is the “secret sauce” of Towne’s success. Some banks have “customers,” some have “clients,” some have “depositors,” some have “borrowers,” but here at Towne, we only have “family members,” where everyone enjoys and feels a sense of belonging. Whether you bank here, work here, insure here, buy or finance your next home here, rent a vacation home here, or own stock here, you are always a member of the Towne family.    

Unlike Eleven Madison Park, we have not been named the best bank in the world. Our goals are a bit more modest. We just want to be the best bank on the corner of “Main Street USA” in the communities we serve.    

Our style is more like that described by Tommy Spaulding, author of The Heart-Led Leader. He wrote, “…the company that focuses on serving others, on impacting others positively, and on leading with the heart will win today and tomorrow. It will also change people’s lives for the better.”    

To paraphrase a note I received from a business associate, every day here at Towne is a new opportunity to love, learn, serve, and grow stronger, enabling us to do more to improve the lives of others.    

We are so very grateful for the opportunity to serve you, your business, and your family members.   

Most sincerely,

G. Robert Aston Jr.
Executive Chairman