Mike Ward’s true passion is community banking, and he has taken his wealth of knowledge and experience to Hillsboro Bank. Ward is the new CEO of the bank. He has been in the role for one month.
Gary Booth was the previous, longtime CEO of Hillsboro Bank, which has two branches: Valrico and its headquarters in Plant City. In 2014, he made the decision to retire. One of Booth’s consultants, who also knew Ward, recommended Ward as his replacements.
Ward and Booth met for lunch one day, and the right decision was obvious.
“It was just a match,” Ward said. “He liked what he heard, I liked what I heard, and next thing I knew, I was in Plant City.”
Investing in the Future
When Ward began his studies at Florida State University, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to focus on. But it soon became clear.
Ward’s best friend’s father was the president of a bank, and he gave Ward a summer job as a teller.
“The interest grew from there,” Ward said. “I admired him greatly and I followed in his footsteps.”
Ward graduated in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting. His first job out of school was with the U.S. Treasury Department, followed by four banking companies. Most recently, in 2007, he started a bank of his own, Florida Traditions Bank.
In July 2014, Florida Traditions Bank was sold to Centennial Bank, a bigger company based in Arkansas. Ward decided to move forward with his career and had several offers from community and regional banks. But the position at Hillsboro Bank in Plant City was the most attractive prospect, he said.
TransPlant
Ward will remain a resident of Dade City with his wife, Dana, but he is looking forward to becoming a member of the Plant City community at the same time.
“Plant City just seems to have more going on, more economic activity,” Ward said. “But the people are very similar to Dade City — friendly, well-rooted, hard workers. Just a great environment for me.”
The biggest reason Ward prefers community banks like Hillsboro Bank over larger corporations is the flexibility.
“Because of the nature of a big bank, they have square pegs that fit in square holes and round pegs that fit in round holes,” Ward said. “It has to match their marketing plan or their business plan, or they can’t help you, and I understand that.
“But community banks are much more flexible. We don’t have pegs and dowels. We’ll consider almost anything that somebody brings in the door.”
Though Ward does not have specific plans for capacity or geographical direction, he knows that he is hoping Hillsboro Bank will grow with his leadership. He also said that no matter how the bank’s footprint expands, its headquarters will stay in Plant City.
“I don’t want to change anything,” Ward said. “I want to do more of what we do. We’re going to try to grow the bank simply by being good community members.”
Did You Know?
Mike Ward’s father was a U.S. Army colonel with a military career lasting more than 30 years. Because the small family moved frequently, Ward had to learn to make friends easily, which helps him in his career. “Meeting people, to me, is fun. It’s exciting,” Ward said.
Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.