Florida Banking September 2021

T he Tringas family has certainly made its mark in the Fort Walton Beach community. John Tringas, chairman of FNBT, comes from a family of savvy entrepreneurs. He is named after his grandfather John K. Tringas, more affectionately known to his Greek family as “Papou.” The elder Tringas owned and operated his own community grocery store in Pensacola. He gave his son, James John Tringas, $700 to open the first family theatre

James Tringas and his investors opened Southern National Bank in 1955 when the Tringas’ lawyer and dear friend, John Amos, encouraged the family to embark on a new business venture – starting a bank. Amos later moved to Georgia and started an insurance company that we know today as Aflac. Southern National Bank (today, FNBT) was the second bank in Fort Walton Beach. While local businessmen bought bank shares, the Tringas family

“ NOT MANY BANKS WERE WILLING TO TAKE ON THE RISK OF THE CREDIT CARD BUSINESS, BUT WE DID. FBS NOW PROCESSES OUR CREDIT CARDS, AND WE’RE LOOKING FOR OTHER BANKS THAT WOULD LIKE US TO PROCESS THEM OR HELP THEM GET INTO THE CREDIT CARD BUSINESS. ”

- JOHN TRINGAS

held the majority. James Tringas continued to buy stock in the bank and became a major shareholder. At one point, he had mortgaged everything but the family home to buy more stock. Today, FNBT has nine locations in addition to its main office. “People ask me how I became president of the bank, and I like to say… It didn’t hurt that my dad was Chairman of the Board, and I outlasted all the presidents that preceded me,” Tringas said.

in downtown Fort Walton Beach, and eventually moved there himself after closing the doors of his grocery store. Papou was a permanent fixture in the box office of Tringas Theatre until his retirement around 40 years later. Tringas credits Papou for instilling in him an attitude of dedicated service and humility. He remembers turning 16 and proudly driving his car to the family theatre, where he parked out front

“ WE HAVE 23 FOLKS WHO HAVE WORKED HERE FOR OVER 20 YEARS. I’VE FOUND THAT IF YOU WANT TO BECOME BETTER AT ANYTHING YOU DO, IT HELPS TO HANG AROUND PEOPLE WHO ARE SMARTER THAN YOU. ”

- JOHN TRINGAS

How has FNBT outlasted its competition? The Tringas family was unafraid to make bold moves in the name of advancement and better servicing customers. In 1968, the bank began issuing and processing credit cards. Tringas himself got to run the department, and faced skepticism from the president at the time who didn’t believe they would make money in the credit card business. Tringas proved him wrong when the business became profitable within 18 months. The bank processed 10,000 MasterCards that year. Not long after, the bank bought its first computer for data processing — a big IBM computer leasing FNBT, Continued on page 10

for his first day of work. When he walked in, Papou promptly told him to move the car because “the help parks out back.” “To this day, I think of myself as ‘the help,’” Tringas said. When his family entered the banking business, Tringas worked as a teller, rolled coins, mailed checks and ran bookkeeping machines. Today, more than 60 years later, that same coin counting machine sits in his office. His walls are lined with family photographs that are evidence of Tringas’ deep love and appreciation for his family and the legacy that he upholds.

WWW.FLORIDABANKERS.COM SEPTEMBER 2021 — 9