Florida Banking September 2021

TRINGAS CREDITS HIS MENTORS “ Sometimes, where you started says more than where you're going. In my case, you have to start with my Papou, John K. Tringas, and my dad, James John Tringas. When my Papou came from Greece to Pensacola over 110 years ago, he spoke no English and had a limited education. But he worked very hard. Papou owned and operated his own community grocery store in Pensacola. When the chain “Our clients have a great deal of trust in us … they have seen all the local banks come and go, and after 65 years we are the same bank with the same family ownership. We have positioned ourselves to be survivors,” Tringas said. “Retiring isn’t something I’ve considered … what would I do in the morning?” Bostick, who serve on the board with Paul Petry (just to name a few). “There are many others, who I’ve most likely offended by not mentioning … but they know who they are and how important they are to me and the bank,” Tringas said. The Tringas family and the FNBT team have inspired loyalty in their community.

John Tringas rolled coins when he started working at the bank. Today, that same coin counting machine sits in his office.

grocery stores came to town and you could buy products off their shelves for less than Papou could from his wholesalers, he knew the community grocery store business was on its way out. He moved to Fort Walton after closing his doors. Growing up, my parents and my Papou worked day and night. My life was built around watching them getting ready to open the theater and popping popcorn. In those days, dad made a profit in the theater business during the tourist season and tried not to lose too much of it before the tourists came back. He sold theater ads to local merchants, and he used to say those ads paid for our Christmas. That is a time long since passed that will never be seen again. I am so grateful for my Dad and Papou and what they taught me, especially since I was not a quick learner. Around 1990, I convinced my dad to let me run the bank. I used the money from a deal I made with Martin Theaters to make a down payment to buy my parents' shares in the bank. I have witnessed family community grocery stores go out of business because of the national chain grocery stores; I've seen family community theaters go out of business because of national theater chains. You could make the case that the family community banking business will not last. I have watched all the other locals sell out or get shut down by the FDIC. The common thread for my family is adapting to change. At some point, it may be necessary to adapt again. ”

WWW.FLORIDABANKERS.COM SEPTEMBER 2021 — 11