251: Building Communities and Changing Lives featuring Darrin Williams and Vance Smiley

Summary Welcome to the Startup Junkies Podcast! Matthew Ward, Caleb Tally, and Jeff Amerine are joined by Darrin Williams and Vance Smiley this week on this latest episode. Darrin is currently the CEO of Southern Bancorp Inc and has partnered with Vance, a founding member of BankWorx. Together they are seeking to reimagine and reinvent the way banks use and develop core banking systems.  Thanks for tuning in!    Shownotes (1:00) Introducing Darrin Williams and Vance Smiley (2:14) Southern Bancorp  (13:11) Facing Big Challenges  (16:20) Growth Alongside Coinbase (19:52) Innovation Driven by Pandemic Impact (24:23) Do Banking Education Differently (28:05) Defining Success Down The Line  (30:54) Opportunity Zones and Gentrification (35:22) What They Wish They Had Known  (39:28) Wrap up   Links Southern Bancorp  Darrin Williams Vance Smiley Matthew Ward Caleb Talley Jeff Amerine   Quotes "Our work really focuses on building economic opportunity… we really work to increase the net worth of the people that we serve." (4:14) Darrin Williams   "We don't exist just to be a bank. We really exist to make a difference. Build communities and change lives." (6:18) Darrin Williams   "I'm becoming much more interested in the impact of my work...it means something more than a paycheck, more than an equity upside." (35:57) Vance Smiley   "My parents were so dedicated to being servant leaders. I mean, every day I saw my parents focused on helping other people, it was never about them… so my interest in the law, my interest in politics, all came from this desire to serve." (37:46) Darrin Williams   https://www.startupjunkie.org/ http://wlj.com/