Opportunity Is Everywhere: The Story of America's Supermarket Banker

Here is the inspiring story of J. Alton Wingate, the banker who from the small town of Cornelia in Northeast Georgia pioneered the concept of supermarket banking, of putting banks into supermarkets. A born entrepreneur, Alton developed and implemented this novel idea that blossomed into the hugely successful corporation Financial Supermarkets, Incorporated (FSI), while at the same time leading Community Bank & Trust in Cornelia into a period of unprecedented growth. This is a real American story, illustrating the idea that with enough vision, energy, heart, and perseverance a person can reach out and grab the golden ring. It is also a "real" story because we see, not only in Alton's reminiscences and reflections, but also in those of some of his friends and colleagues, a bit of what happened behind the scenes as Alton worked his way to the top of his field and invented a new way for banks and supermarkets to do business together. As we follow Alton's life in Georgia, from his childhood in Albany to his adult years in Athens and Cornelia, as we hear the stories of his years as a paperboy and his early mistrust of "all that marble and glass" in banks, as we witness his start in banking and his rise from collections to executive offices--we see demonstrated again and again that, indeed, opportunity is everywhere. J. Alton Wingate always had the vision to recognize opportunity and was always ready to do what needed to be done to turn opportunity into accomplishment. Although the supermarket banking corporation FSI is undeniably one of the crown jewels of Alton's career, his earlier business experiences are no less remarkable. As a boy, at first with a bicycle and later with a Harley-Davidson, he built the most successful paper route that his hometown of Albany had ever seen. When he gave up his paper route to start his career in banking, he had to take a cut in pay. However, almost immediately he became his bank's most successful outside adjuster (or "collection agent"), and his subsequent rise in the banking industry is a phenomenal success story. Bankers and entrepreneurs alike--and anyone who enjoys the story of a life well lived--will enjoy this illuminating book about Alton's life and will find both inspiration and valuable knowledge in his stories of seeing opportunities and then acting upon them to achieve success.