Florida Banking August 2021

Pierce and participated in drills with the SEALs, culminating in a rescue simulation that involved jumping out of a helicopter at 30 feet over the water. Both Sheehan and Usategui took the plunge, though Usategui is terrified of heights. It’s certainly a story that's made its way round the office. The leadership of Professional Bank is proud of the talent they employ.

stayed on with Professional Bank were unable to meet their new colleagues in person for over a year, getting to know one another exclusively through their digital platforms. During the pandemic, the team took “virtual walks” together to get the creative juices flowing. “We always want to be sure this is a fun place to work. And it’s got to start at the top,” said Sheehan.

" A BIG PART OF OUR PAST AND FUTURE SUCCESS IS BEING ABLE TO RETAIN GREAT TALENT... AT THE END OF THE DAY, OUR BRAND IS ONLY GOING TO BE AS STRONG AS THE PEOPLE THAT STAND BEHIND IT AND REPRESENT IT EVERY DAY ON THE GROUND. "

- DANIEL R. SHEEHAN

“A big part of our past and future success is being able to retain great talent,” said Sheehan. “And so when we enter a market, we want to have great bankers, and at the end of the day, our brand is only going to be as strong as the people that stand behind it and represent it every day on the ground.”

“Banks get a bad rap as ‘boring’ and ‘robotic.’ Our industry has done a poor job attracting young people over the years, and we’re addressing that here.” Nothing says “team building” quite like training with Navy SEALs. Last December, the team visited The National Navy SEAL Museum in Fort

MEET CFO MARY USATEGUI

Mary Usategui has served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Professional Bank since April 2014. Usategui previously served as Vice President and Controller for Professional Bank from May 2010 until March 2014. Prior to joining Professional Bank, she served in various roles, including Senior Financial Officer with Coconut Grove Bank from 2003 to 2010. In all, she has over 18 years of banking experience. Usategui has been a Florida Bankers Association (FBA) BancServ board member since June 2020. She also served as a bank advisory board member for the AAA Scholarship Foundation from 2016 to 2020. She is actively involved in mentoring inner-city youth and has helped transform

the lives of multiple children in the South Florida community. Usategui is a Florida-licensed certified public accountant and received her Master of Accounting from the University of Miami and both her Master of Science degree in Finance and her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance and International Business from Florida International University. She was recently recognized by the South Florida Business Journal in 2019 as a “40 under 40” honoree and was named the 2020 “CFO of the Year” by the South Florida Business Journal . Most recently, Usategui was instrumental in helping take Professional Holding Corp. public and list on the NASDAQ in February 2020.

WWW.FLORIDABANKERS.COM AUGUST 2021 — 11