FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 30, 2020
Contact: Mike Odom, Chief Executive Officer
Phone: 912-663-9706
Email: modom@greatoaks.bank
CITIZENS BANK AND TRUST REBRANDS AS GREAT OAKS BANK AND ANNOUNCES
FURTHER EXPANSION IN COASTAL GEORGIA
New Name Reflects The Strength, Endurance And Majesty Of The Great Oak Tree
(EASTMAN, GEORGIA)—Citizens Bank and Trust today announced the rebranding of the bank headquartered in Eastman, Georgia, to Great Oaks Bank.
Current Citizens Bank offices in Eastman, Rhine and Richmond Hill along with Cochran Bank in Cochran, Georgia, officially become Great Oaks Bank today as signs start changing to the new brand this week. The bank’s four current locations will be joined by a new office in Pooler, Georgia slated to open at Savannah Quarters in early August as Great Oaks Bank.
“As other banks grow larger, abandon the community bank model, and become more disconnected from customers and communities, we wanted a name that honors our legacy and traditions, but also embraces the future with a fresh, bold look and emphasizes our personal relationship style of banking,” said G. Mike Odom, Jr., chief executive officer of Great Oaks Bank. “Citizens Bank was founded in the early 1930s, around the same time the live oak became Georgia’s state tree. The great and mighty oaks that grace our landscape have withstood the tests of time, and, like us, they keep growing and reaching higher.”
According to Odom, as the bank began to envision a new roadmap it became clear that a new brand could be pivotal. “A couple of years ago, we began to envision a new roadmap for Citizens Bank—one that preserves our community bank model and allows expansion beyond our Middle Georgia roots,” he said. “The Citizens name was chosen at a time when Georgia banks could not open branches outside their home county. Therefore, may banks adopted similar names, such as Citizens, without fear of overlaps. As branching regulations changed and we established offices in other counties, we encountered naming conflicts which require us to maintain separate brands, such as Cochran Bank in Bleckley County. As we grow into other areas, naming conflicts will become an even greater challenge.”
The brand transition will include a new name, a new logo and a new website at GreatOaks.Bank that customers across the bank’s footprint will begin to see immediately. The new Pooler, Georgia office located at Savannah Quarters will open as Great Oaks Bank. In Richmond Hill, Great Oaks will transition from their temporary office to a permanent location currently under construction in the Fall of 2020.
"While our brand is changing, there's a lot that's staying the same – our employees will be the same as will our commitment to our community and customers,” said Odom. “As we become Great Oaks Bank, we’re not undergoing a merger and we’re not starting a new bank. We’re making a legacy bank stronger with the same people our customers know and trust.
“In doing so, we are proud to celebrate the strength, endurance and majesty of these Great Oaks as a symbol of who we are, where our roots are, and our vision for a bright, growing future.”
About Great Oaks Bank
As a community bank originally founded in 1934 to serve Eastman and Dodge County, Georgia, Great Oaks Bank has $200 million in total assets with four office locations. Visit GreatOaks.Bank for more information.