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But in the Atlanta area, they’re easy to see. You just have to look at construction sites.

Read More at The Atlanta Journal Constitution.

–Regions Bank on Tuesday announced a series of disaster-recovery financial services designed to help people and businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene. In addition, bank associates are volunteering in support of first responders in affected areas. Also, the Regions Foundation, a nonprofit funded primarily by Regions Bank, announced a commitment of $150,000 in initial grant funding for organizations providing disaster relief.

Community Recovery:

The $150,000 total from the Regions Foundation will be divided among several agencies meeting immediate and long-term needs. Specific allocations will include:

• $100,000 in support of the American Red Cross to help meet needs across Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina

• $15,000 for Second Harvest of the Big Bend, a Tallahassee-based organization providing urgent food relief in Florida communities near where Helene made landfall

• $15,000 to United Way of the CSRA (Central Savannah River Area), which is helping people in and around Augusta, Ga., following widespread effects from the storm

• $10,000 for the Region A.H.E.A.D. Small Business Flood Recovery Relief, which is helping local businesses throughout several counties in Northeast Tennessee

• $10,000 for United Way of East Tennessee Highlands’ Disaster-Relief Fund, which is helping people around Elizabethton, Jonesborough and other Northeast Tennessee areas ravaged by record-breaking floods

“Relief organizations are on the ground meeting urgent needs, and we are honored to support their important work,” said Marta Mendes-Miguel Self, executive director of the Regions Foundation. “These organizations have experience serving their communities. The greatest way we can help as an organization is to provide resources that further enable them to do what they do best. And we encourage people and businesses who are in a position to donate to consider joining us in supporting these agencies.”

Grants from the Regions Foundation are in addition to volunteerism provided by Regions Bank associates.

“We were honored to feed 90 first responders Sunday night in Elizabethton, and we are doing it again today,” Regions’ East Tennessee Consumer Banking Manager, Aaron Madron, said Monday between volunteerism opportunities. “Wherever you see a Regions Bank branch, that means our people are not just working in the community, we’re a part of the community. Our hearts are here. Our families are here. And our commitment is here. We’ll keep finding ways to serve because we’re all invested in the long-term recovery of these communities.”

Special Bank Services:

In addition, Regions Bank developed and launched disaster-recovery financial services for people and businesses in impacted areas¹. Importantly, the areas covered by these services will be expanded to include multiple additional communities based on formal declarations expected from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the coming days.

The special services including the following items, available for a limited time beginning Oct. 1:

• Regions will waive ATM Surcharges for non-customers in the impacted areas¹ within Regions’ footprint for two weeks (Oct. 1 – Oct. 15).

• Provide Mortgage Disaster Relief Purchase and Renovation loan programs

• Waive fees when customers use other banks’ ATMs in the impacted areas for at least 14 days (Note: Fees charged by other banks or ATM owners may still apply.)

• Remove check-cashing fees for FEMA-issued checks when cashed in a Regions branch².

• Provide personal and business loan payment assistance³.

• Provide payment deferrals for current credit card holders³.

• Provide business loan payment deferrals of up to 90 days³.

• Provide one penalty-free CD withdrawal upon request (unless within seven days of issuance or renewal)

• Provide a Disaster Response interest rate discount of 0.50% on new personal unsecured loans when you apply in a branch or by phone⁴.

• Provide a Disaster Response interest rate discount of 0.50% on standard rates for new business loans or lines of credit of up to $1 million to help with recovery needs in impacted areas⁴.

• Provide a Disaster Response interest rate discount of 0.50% on new unsecured business term loans of up to $50,000 with up to 36-month terms, including waived origination and loan document fees, as well as options for the first payments to be deferred by up to 90 days⁴.

• Provide a Disaster Response interest rate discount of up to 0.50% on non-business auto loans when you apply in-branch or by phone⁵.

• Dedicated Contact Center:

  • For help with loans, credit cards, or deposit accounts: 1-800-221-7471

  • For help with any other banking need: 1-800-411-9393

• Check www.regions.com/HurricaneHelene for an updated list of areas where these offers are available as damage assessments continue.

“The impacts of Hurricane Helene are simply astounding, and we are heartbroken for so many communities where flooding, high winds, and other impacts have taken their toll,” said John Jordan, head of Retail for Regions Bank. “Our associates have years of experience helping people and businesses recover financially from natural disasters. This is a time for us to lean on that experience and offer financial tools that can help make the recovery a little bit easier. Beyond the services we’re announcing today, we also encourage people to reach out – whether in-person, on the phone, or through our digital channels – to talk about your own, unique needs. We’ll listen closely and would like to work with you from a financial perspective throughout the recovery.”

The majority of Regions’ bank branches within the impacted areas are back open and serving customers. The branch network suffered comparatively little damage overall and is well positioned to meet customers’ needs as recovery moves forward. In addition, banking services remain available around the clock through Regions.com, the Regions Mobile Banking App, and other Regions branch locations across the Southeast.

Here for You:

In addition to the above disaster-recovery services, Regions Bank teams can be contacted at the following numbers for customized guidance on a range of lending products, including:

• Mortgages, home equity loans and lines: 1-800-748-9498

• Other consumer loans: 1-866-298-1113

• Any other banking needs: 1-800-411-9393

The insurance business is all about taking calculated risks, so Aflac CEO Dan Amos always makes sure his numbers line up before he makes a big decision. 

Still, on New Year’s Day 2000 — the day the now-famous Aflac Duck quacked its way into the world for the first time — he was anxious. 

“I realized at that moment that I had bet my entire life on a duck, and I was scared to death it wasn’t going to work,” Amos joked to a group of University of Georgia students during his Mason Leadership Lecture on Oct. 2 at the UGA Chapel. 

In the end, that duck changed the way insurance was sold in America and catapulted Aflac from a company with 4% name recognition to about 90% in just a few years.

In the late 1990s, Amos was trying to raise Aflac’s profile. Founded by Amos’s uncles and father in the 1950s as American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus, Aflac became one of the largest insurers in Japan in the 1970s and 1980s, but it wasn’t a household name in the U.S.

“We ended up going outside and hiring several firms to make presentations,” Amos said. “We actually had 25 different presentations made on different commercials.”

One pitch was for Ray Romano, star of the sitcom “Everyone Loves Raymond,” to play a coach and spell “Aflac” on a field with a group of children, but it didn’t move the needle.

“I realized we had to do something bold, but I never dreamed they would come back with the idea of the Aflac Duck,” Amos said.  

The duck was a winner when tested with audiences, but it was way outside the norm for financial and insurance companies at the time. 

“The problem was we were making fun of our name,” he said. “Back then, you didn’t have insurance commercials that were fun. You didn’t have Flo; you didn’t have the Geico Gecko or any of those things. I was scared to death that people wouldn’t like it, but I told the advertising agency I would go with whatever scored the best with test audiences if it was in good taste. And the duck came back first.”

What Amos remembers that most others won’t is the duck launched on Jan. 1, 2000, when a huge audience spent the day glued to CNN to see whether the Y2K computer glitch would crash the economy. It was a time of high anxiety. 

But instead of bad news, the world’s computer systems kept running, and CNN was left with extra advertising time. The Aflac Duck aired on repeat between news stories about banks and hospitals running smoothly and the heroic IT professionals who successfully updated the software the world needed to keep running.

“We ended up taking our name recognition to 90%. Now that’s good — I mean, that is Nike, Coca-Cola levels of name recognition,” Amos said. 

When the advertising firm surveyed audiences about the duck, they reported that most of their respondents insisted on imitating the duck’s signature voice when answering questions, Amos said.

Inside the company, people also went nuts for the duck.

“Our agents and salespeople were so enthusiastic,” he said. “They all wanted to go buy a duck costume and wear it. And we said, ‘No, you cannot wear a duck costume.’”

The company put in place a list of rules that dictate how and where people can use the duck to keep it from soiling the Aflac brand — and it’s worked. 

“Now, when you see a white duck, most people in America think ‘Aflac,’” he concluded. 

Sterling Seacrest Pritchard, one of the nation’s top 100 commercial insurance brokers, has announced the addition of two new client advisors, Jon Lambert and Mike Roman. 

“Jon and Mike bring tremendous expertise and experience to SSP,” said Sterling Seacrest Pritchard Chairman of the Board John Miller. “They are a welcome addition to our team and a reiteration of our company’s commitment to community engagement and client service.”

• Jon Lambert is based in the company’s Atlanta office and specializes in Property & Casualty insurance, with a focus in construction and specialty trade contractors. Following a decade in finance and sales, Jon transitioned into the insurance industry five years ago with a plan to help clients create efficient risk-financing programs. 

He received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Finance from Franciscan University of Steubenville before returning to Georgia where he completed a post-graduate accounting program at Georgia State University. He is an active parishioner at St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church in Roswell, Ga. 

• Mike Roman is based in the company’s Birmingham office where he specializes as a commercial risk consultant and insurance broker. With over 20 years of experience, Mike has worked with a variety of industries including construction, healthcare, retail in addition to directors and officers liability (D&O), cyber liability, and firearms insurance. Mike holds certifications as a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) as well as a Certified Risk Manager (CRM) from the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance. 

Prior to joining the insurance industry, Mike earned a Navy ROTC scholarship and graduated from the Virginia Military Institute with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, with Distinction. Upon graduation, he reported to Pensacola Naval Air Station to begin his military service as a Naval Aviator. During his time in the Navy, he earned two Air Medals, the Navy achievement Medal, and numerous other awards. Following his service, Mike flew as a pilot with American Airlines for several years before changing careers to risk consulting. In 2018, he was recognized by the Birmingham Business Journal as a Veteran of Influence.

Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States and the 11th leading cause of death in Georgia, yet suicide can be prevented. Volunteers from Atlanta are joining the thousands of people who are gathering this season in towns across the United States to promote suicide prevention. 

The annual Atlanta Out of the Darkness Community Walk, hosted by the Georgia Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP Georgia), will take place November 3 at 1:30 p.m. in Piedmont Park.

This gathering will support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s education, research and support for those affected by suicide. In addition to raising awareness and funds to fight suicide, the walks give those who attend a chance to connect with others and know they are not alone, whether they walk in memory or in support of a loved one or in honor of their own mental health journey.

“Suicide touches one in five families in the United States. In Georgia, suicide is the third leading cause of death for ages 10 to 34. We hope that by connecting with one another, we will draw attention to this issue and keep other families from experiencing a suicide loss. Our goal is to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide,” said Lynn Prothero, Board Chair for AFPS Georgia. 

The Atlanta Out of the Darkness Community Walk is one of the hundreds of events being held nationwide this year. Local sponsors for the Atlanta Out of the Darkness Walk include Teamsters Union Local 728, Kason Industries, McNaughton-McCay Electric Company and more. To donate or join this event, visit here. 

#ToombsStrong, a newly launched initiative to coordinate Hurricane Helene recovery and response, today announced its first major contribution from Georgia-based FanDuel. The $25,000 donation, facilitated by Rep. Leesa Hagan and Sen. Blake Tillery will go to the United Way of Toombs, Montgomery, and Wheeler Counties. This is a critical lifeline to our families, businesses and communities suffering the devastating impacts of the storm. 

“FanDuel is a proud employer in Georgia and is devasted to see the damage across communities many of our team members call home,” said Alison Kutler, Vice President, Responsible Gaming and Community Impact at FanDuel. “We are committed to supporting recovery efforts and to aiding the efforts of heroic first responders, and we look forward to continuing to uplift the community as we rebuild.”

The donation will support the organization’s community­ driven recovery efforts in areas of shelter, medical supplies and food across the region as it works to recover from the catastrophic damage of Hurricane Helene.

“On behalf of the families and communities impacted by Hurricane Helene, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to FanDuel for their incredible generosity, said Sen. Blake Tillery “This is the first major contribution toward our recovery efforts, and through our #ToombsStrong partnership with the United Way of Toombs, Montgomery, and Wheeler Counties, these funds will go directly to helping families rebuild their lives. Your support will make a lasting difference in our community’s recovery and resilience.” 

“The people and communities of House District 156, which includes Toombs County, continue to demonstrate their resilience and strength as we begin the long process of rebuilding after Hurricane Helene, said Rep. Leesa Hagan. “#ToombsStrong is more than a slogan—it’s a reflection of our determination and spirit. I am grateful for FanDuel’s generous contribution to support our recovery efforts. This donation will help us restore what was lost and ensure that our district comes back stronger than ever.”

FanDuel employees in its Atlanta office will also collect essential relief supplies for those affected by the storm and first responders, including non-perishable food, water, clothing, hygiene products, baby supplies and first-aid materials.

“Rep. Leesa Hagan and Sen. Blake Tillery’s leadership throughout Southeast Georgia, including Toombs County, during Hurricane Helene emergency operations–from preparedness efforts to debris removal to local response coordination–has been critical in helping our community survive and recover, said Toombs County Commission Chairman David Sikes, Lyons Mayor Willis NeSmith and Vidalia Mayor Doug Roper in a joint statement. 

“Their support of our #ToombsStrong United Way of Toombs Montgomery Wheeler Counties partnership helped facilitate our first sizable donation, for which we are so blessed. Today, Georgia-based FanDuel have generously donated $25,000 to support immediate needs. We are immensely grateful for their assistance and look forward to getting this critical aid to our families and communities in need.” 

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