BB&T names new local president | Maryland Gazette (HometownGlenBurnie.com)

"That's our overarching goal," he said at the division's Church Circle headquarters in downtown Annapolis. "It's about us executing on our model, which is client-focused, client-driven, relationship-driven banking."

Mr. Standridge, 32, takes over the post from David Ritchie, who retired after four years as BB&T's Chesapeake division president, capping off a 42-year banking career.

Over the past decade, Mr. Standridge has moved up the BB&T ranks with leadership roles in North Carolina, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore before landing in Annapolis.

In his new post, Mr. Standridge will oversee about 500 employees in 12 counties whose offices hold $1.8 billion in assets. Anne Arundel County holds most of that with $919 million in deposits.

Mr. Standridge said he plans to grow assets in Anne Arundel by $90 million a year.

He also will manage the division's commercial, small-business and retail banking units and work with the bank's mortgage and wealth-management sectors.

"I'm excited," said Mr. Standridge, who also plans to move to Annapolis. "We've got a great, great market area and really just a tremendous opportunity."

BB&T is a Winston-Salem, N.C.-based bank with $132.6 billion in assets and nearly 1,500 financial centers nationwide. It has 20 branches in Anne Arundel County. As of June 30, BB&T held the second largest amount of deposits in Anne Arundel, trumped only by Bank of America, which has more than $1.4 billion, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. M&T Bank holds the third largest amount of deposits in Anne Arundel.

Despite weaker market conditions, Mr. Standridge said taking over the No. 1 spot is attainable with the BB&T model. He said BB&T continues to be an organization "that's been consistent and dependable" and its "reputation is more valuable than it probably ever was."

"We see this as a key opportunity for us to bring our model to the market," he said.

With bank consolidation rampant, fewer institutions are making decisions at the local level, Mr. Standridge said. But BB&T still makes 98 percent of client decisions locally, which is unusual for a bank of its size, he said.

Nicole Nastacie, spokesman for Bank of America, said her company is an "unparalleled banking franchise" that delivers superior customer service and a wide range of products.

"We're pleased with our presence in the market," she said. "We welcome the competition."

David Danielson, president of bank consulting firm Danielson Capital in Vienna, Va., said BB&T's growth plans are not unrealistic.

"They are one of the largest banks in the country," he said.

But growth doesn't necessarily translate into profits, he said. He also said BB&T still faces some "stiff competition" from banks such as BankAnnapolis and CommerceFirst that already have a loyal following in the area.

To help gain market share, BB&T is emphasizing community outreach efforts to make the biggest impact it can in the areas it serves, said Carrie Schreiber, regional sales and marketing officer for the Chesapeake division.

"We're always looking for opportunities like that in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County," she said.

Mr. Standridge said he also plans to be more involved in the local community, adding that he and his wife were co-chairs of an event that raised close to $200,000 to help find a cure for cystic fibrosis.

A graduate from the University of Georgia who earned his bachelor's degree in finance, Mr. Standridge was accepted into BB&T's rigorous leadership-development program, which only had 25 slots at the time, he said.

He started out as a financial analyst in the bank's business-loan administration group in Winston-Salem, then moved to Charlotte, N.C., where he worked as a commercial relationship manager and also headed BB&T's business-banking initiative for the metropolitan area.

Mr. Standridge moved to Washington, where he served as a business-banking manager in 2004 and also headed retail banking for the Washington area. His most recent position was in Baltimore, serving as an area executive overseeing BB&T commercial and small business banking units.

With his familiarity of Maryland and success in other BB&T positions, Mr. Standridge said the new post seemed "like a natural fit." Lately, he has been busy meeting with key clients and managers and visiting locations throughout the 47-unit Chesapeake region.

"We want to continue to be the premiere bank in Anne Arundel County," he said.