Laurie Clarke
Athens First Bank and Trust

"I love working with people," says Laurie Clarke, vice president of Commercial Banking with Athens First Bank and Trust. "People are at the heart of everything we do. Building and fostering those relationships and providing excellent service are my focus."

Clarke, a UGA graduate, has been in banking since 1977 and joined Athens First Bank and Trust as a lending assistant and operations supervisor for the Commercial Department.

She is now manager of the Real Estate Division of that department and her typical clients are builders, investors and real estate developers in the area.

"I work with them on construction and permanent financing of multi-family properties such as condominiums and apartment buildings, and all other commercial real estate projects, as well as development of single-family subdivisions," she says. "Watching their progress go from my customer's vision to the planning and the spec stage to completion is very rewarding." Clarke explains, "The phases of construction rarely go exactly as planned. Unexpected things can develop along the way. We are a partner in the project from start to finish and I really enjoy helping our customers work through those issues and assist them in any way I can."

Clarke lives with her husband, Von, a sales representative with Athens Chevrolet, and their two children, Taylor and Hampton. She is involved in the Athens Area Cancer Auxiliary and has worked on YMCA campaigns. She is a member of the Atlanta Builders Association and Athens First Methodist Church.

Laurie Clarke can be reached at (706)357-7035. The Commercial Banking Center is located at 233 West Hancock Ave. in downtown Athens.