Branch Spotlight: Combining Finance, Community Building, and Line Dancing in Florence, SC

No team in banking understands the nuances of line dancing and banking quite like our Florence-Main branch. Join them for line dancing on Friday mornings!

In March of 2023, we expanded our South Carolina footprint with the purchase of GrandSouth bank, adding 8 branches to the First Bank family. Our Florence-Main branch, operated by Paul Seward, Area Executive, and newly promoted City Executive, Ashley Christenbury, kicks off every Friday morning with some good old fashioned line dancing.

You might think that line dancing and banking don’t have anything in common, but our team at the Florence-Main branch is here to prove you wrong. The choreography, methodical steps, camaraderie, and community-building aspects of line dancing have direct parallels with banking – and with First Bank specifically.

Much like the choreography needed for a group to do the “Biker Shuffle” in unison, the moving parts needed to operate one of the nation’s most successful banks must work together seamlessly. First Bank’s mission combines financial safety and soundness with community trust and confidence. Throughout our organization’s 87-year history, we have seen recessions, depressions, and many banks come and go. Because of our commitment to being safe and sound and serving our customers, we have been awarded as a Number 1 Best-in-State Bank by Forbes, as an Annual KBW Bank Honor Roll Award winner, and one of the Top 10 best-performing public banks in the nation by S&P Global, along with many other accolades.

The energy and teambuilding atmosphere cultivated at a line dance is hard to beat. As everyone works together, each dancer contributes to creating something larger than themselves. As the group grows in size and complexity, the more impressive the dance becomes. Similarly, banks that work together with their neighbors foster mutual growth, lasting impact, and impressive communities. An actively involved local bank can provide their neighbors with increased access to small business loans, mortgages, charitable donations, and overall financial wellness.

When asked about her favorite part of working at First Bank, Ashley said, “First Bank’s commitment to the local communities we serve across our footprint is incredible. First Bank makes it a priority to support various initiatives on a corporate level and we are expected and encouraged to be involved in our communities on a local level. This is truly important to me as I enjoy giving back and serving and helping others.”

Ashley and her team invite you to stop by their branch to ask about their Friday morning line dancing plans… and also your financial needs.

View all of their line dancing videos on the @LocalFirstBank Youtube page.