Meet Alex Smith – probably one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet because of his easy-going personality and his willingness to help anywhere he can. Alex is a Credit Analyst in Commercial Lending. He began his career with Chelsea State Bank in 2013 and has worked across a spectrum of roles, including operations, IT and marketing. In his current role, Alex reviews prospective and current customers’ financial needs, mainly in the form of financing requests, and then analyzes their current financial standings to help determine the best solutions the Bank can offer.

“What I love most about my career at Chelsea State Bank are my coworkers,” said Alex. “I receive tremendous support from all those I work with including management. In particular, I have always been so appreciative of how kind Tina Keck was to me when I first started at CSB. She was so helpful and welcoming to me and made me feel like part of the team from day one. That really kick started my love for the CSB culture.”

Alex explains that his career at CSB started as a stroke of great timing. “I was looking for something new right at the time that an opening was on the horizon. During my interview it actually seemed like I was being sold on the Bank rather than the other way around. The biggest thing I picked up on was the culture and the enthusiasm that employees had for the Bank. I quickly knew I was unlikely to find that kind of fit elsewhere.”

A self-proclaimed homebody, Alex says “without a doubt the people and social interaction” are what he treasures most about his work at CSB. “A favorite memory that still sticks out most to me is when I bought my first house. My coworkers put together a card with gift money to buy myself a housewarming gift. This has always stuck with me and I actually still have the card because of how much it meant to me.”

Having worked in many of the key areas within the Bank, Alex can confidently say that he can fully appreciate how all the pieces fit together with everyone driving a great customer experience.

Outside the office, Alex is focused on giving his 8-year-old daughter a great father-daughter experience. “Most of my interests have turned into things I can do with her. We try and spend a good amount of time outside and have access to a lot of nearby trails. I am a super homebody and don’t do any traveling. I’ve always preferred the comforts of my home and still do. I try and get out on little hikes with my dog or bike the Lakelands Trail with my daughter.”

Fun Facts About Alex

• What is your favorite pastime? Currently: Tuesday gaming night with my friend Aaron. Of all time: After school chatting on AOL Instant Messenger.
• What are your hobbies? Fantasy football, craft beers, gaming (PC but also like Switch), sports, YouTube, memes
• What is your favorite food? I love a perfectly made burger. Also a huge fan of chocolate covered pretzels.
• What is your favorite holiday, and why? I’ve always liked Thanksgiving. No gift giving pressure and my mom is an excellent cook so always good eating. The last two years I have deep fried the turkey and basked in the praise it’s gotten so of course I like that too.
• What is on your favorite playlist? I love music and like to think I have a pretty extensive taste. I’ve got a good sized music library I’ve amassed over many years with a wide variety of genres and artists. I go in phases of what I’m most into, but I can always go for classic rock (Fleetwood, Led Zep, Eagles are top three.)
• TV show you can’t miss. Nothing currently, but all time would be Breaking Bad.
• Favorite quote? To reach distant places you must take the first step.
• What area do you live in and for how long? I live in Pinckney, and aside form a short stint when I first moved out, have lived within the same 2 mile radius all my life. I’m all about that red & black Pirate life.