Banker brings big-top experiences to big bank
Ellis Smith
Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn.
May 10, 2012
Running off to join the circus is considered more of a figure of speech these days than something people actually do.
Mike Butler actually did it.
The current president of SunTrust Bank's East Tennessee region juggled axes, walked a tightrope and catapulted from a teeterboard during the 1970s -- a time when most kids his age rebelled by growing their hair out and listening to the Rolling Stones.
"It was the most significant event in my life," he said.
If he's exaggerating, it's hard to tell. Butler has found a way through the years to connect those heady days in his late teens to the three-ring spectacle of balancing the needs of clients, shareholders and regulators at the helm of a bank.
In fact, Butler never really left the big top behind.
He even has a juggling routine worked out for when he gives speeches.
"That way, they're sure to remember it," he said.
As SunTrust celebrates the bank's 100th anniversary in Chattanooga, Butler hopes that his management of the bank, informed by his unorthodox background, will keep the consumers coming back for another century.
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-mct-banker-brings-big-top-experiences-to-big-bank-20120510,0,5847268.story
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