AS THE door closes behind you, a personal welcome replaces the drone of traffic. Layers of conversation from every corner of the room meet in the middle, sliding over you like your favorite old T-shirt. The television plays quietly above the fireplace while those gathered around it or seated on the area’s sofa and armchairs swap stories with familiarity and connection. It’s not home; it’s Traders Bank, your hometown bank.
It’s where Tommy Anderton surrounds himself with faces you recognize and that recognize yours. It’s sit-down banking founded on relationships built over a lifetime. And for Tommy, it’s a full-circle journey home.
When Tommy graduated college in 1976, he had no doubts about two things: his wedding to Linda Channell in six weeks and a career in financial services.
“It was so, in my family, I was unaware there was any other profession for me,” he said.
His father, Estel Anderton, worked for Traders Bank for 36 years. Estel employed his son at age 12 to roll coins for 40 cents an hour and mow the bank’s branch lawn for $2, sealing a passion for figures and finance.
Right out of college, Tommy applied for a management training position with Commerce Union Bank, but the bank offered the job to someone else. Instead of dressing for success, he accepted a position in menswear at a department store, Cain-Sloan, suiting up others.
“I never went to work the first day at Cain-Sloan. I received a call saying the other candidate took a job in his hometown, so they offered me the job,” Tommy laughed. “For $50 more a month than I’d agreed to before they offered it to someone else.”
From Commerce Union Bank, Tommy went on to work for Union Planters Bank and soon realized that raises and incentives declined after six years. He believed the greatest return on the investment of his experience was with ownership in a bank. He and five others successfully purchased DeKalb County Bank in 1987 in Alexandria, Dowelltown, and Smithville.
Fast forward to 1992, when DeKalb County Bank accepted a purchase offer from Union Planters Bank, and Tommy agreed to stay for one year while things transitioned. Then, he would be looking for work. But before the year ended, Union Planters Bank purchased First National Bank of Shelbyville and needed a president. Due to its proximity to his hometown, Tullahoma, and his previous positive experience with Union Planters Bank, he accepted. He led the bank to its third most successful of 28 bank portfolios.
But when AmSouth Bank acquired Union Planters Bank in 2004, hometown banking with a personal touch took a back seat. Providing the best possible service to the customer base he nurtured over the past 28 years became more complicated. Tommy longed for the return of personalized banking and accessible lending approval.
When Tommy’s career began, banking apps, ATMs, and virtual tellers seemed like works of science fiction. While many customers prefer the convenience of these tools today, others yearn for and appreciate a bank that understands the needs of their small business or their dream of a home in the country.
A visionary agreement in late 2009 to open a Traders Bank location in Shelbyville with Tommy as president turned back the clock.
He said, “We don’t look like a bank. We don’t have ropes for customers to walk through. We have sit-down banking. We started a bank with four people who have now been together for 30 years — Derek Warren, Tracey Boyce, Dawn Pilkington, and me. The success of this dynamic allowed us to grow our team over the last 14 years to the faces you see today. I know I have the biggest title and loan authority, but I truly think the success of Traders Bank in Shelbyville is because of the dynamic of this team.”
Shelbyville friends, who were Tommy’s mentors, influenced his recipe for success: work harder than your competition and always connect with your customers. It was a contagious combination, quickly embraced by Tommy and his team.
“I’m 70 years old, and I’ve still got the same passion,” he said. “What we have done well for 14 years is relationships. I committed to fostering relationships. This will sound funny, but if you’re a customer at Traders Bank, we will give you the slowest customer service of any bank in town. Sit down, and let’s catch up on how things are going with you and your family. Banking at Traders is different because of relationships — more different than at any bank in my career,” said Tommy.
March 2015 ushered in more change. Traders Bank sold to Citizens Bank of Lafayette with Joe Carter as president. A couple of years later, a call from Carter pulled Tommy into the boardroom and up to Lafayette. Carter asked Tommy to do him a favor by succeeding him as president of the bank.
Tommy said, “I never intended to be the president [of Citizens], but its size allowed me to serve large commercial accounts with Traders. The merger with Citizens gave us the capital and the lending capability to excel.”
In every new account and loan approved, Tommy sees numbers and narratives — stories of dreams no longer deferred, businesses rising from the ground up, and families securing their futures. Through Traders Bank, he’s rolling back the calendar on local banking, living a story that speaks of trust, reliability, and a shared commitment to a brighter future. It’s an invitation to rekindle the warmth of connection in every transaction, handshake, and shared dream. GN
