Florida Banking November 2023

MEET PRESIDENT

GARY L. CARNEY

In addition to its civic philanthropy and volunteerism, First State Bank connects to its community through art, specifically art that showcases local sea life and the beautiful waters of the Florida Keys. The largest representation of this CONNECTING THROUGH ART

Gary Carney joined First State Bank of the Florida Keys in 2006 as senior vice president / senior loan administration officer and was promoted to executive vice president in 2007, chief credit officer in 2011, and chief operating officer in 2021, before assuming his role as president in January 2023. His professional background includes almost 40 years of banking and credit administration experience. Prior to joining First State Bank, Carney led the Commercial Credit department at Charter One Bank overseeing a five-state market. Carney earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Kent State University, is a 2002 graduate of Stonier / America’s Community Bankers Graduate School of Banking, and a 2023 graduate of the Executive Development Institute’s Graduate School of Banking in Colorado. He has served Easterseals Florida Keys as a past chairman of the Board of Directors and as a member of the Regional Advisory Board Audit Committee.

connection is the statue “The Manatee,” which faces the waterfront at one of the bank’s Key West branches. The statue was the first commissioned piece in the City of Key West’s Art in Public Places program. It was created by the late, local artist George Carey, who, along with his high school students in the 1980s and ’90s, made several metal sculptures at schools throughout the city. Carey had retired to Ohio when the bank called on him to create a realistic manatee to be the inaugural piece in the city’s art program, but also to represent the bank’s mascot, “Moolah the Manatee.” Carey accepted the commission, and the enormous manatee was created in the snowy north and transported to Key West where he has become a favorite photo spot, especially during the holidays when he is dressed for the occasion. First State Bank has also worked for many years with local artist, Rick Worth, and local photographer, Rob O’Neal. Worth, known for his art-o-mobiles (painted cars) and roof tile paintings, painted colorful underwater scenes featuring tropical fish, sea turtles, coral, and of course, a manatee for the bank’s personal debit card, new ATMs, several bank vehicles, and even a mural at the bank’s Stock Island branch. The bank also features Worth’s art on many of its promotional items for customers. Photographer O’Neal, known for his vivid Keys imagery and stunning aerial photos, captured the aerial photo of the Keys’ famous 7-Mile Bridge, seen on the bank’s Online Banking background, brochures, and business debit card.

NOVEMBER 2023 — 11