Making Connections, Opening Doors, and Providing Access with Christopher Everett

Intro: Welcome to Start Local, where we talk with business owners, leaders of nonprofits, and other members of our community focused on doing business in and around Chester County, Pennsylvania. Each episode will provide insight into the local business scene and tell you about opportunities to connect with and support businesses and nonprofits in your local area.

Joe Casabona: The Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce promotes trade, commerce, industry, and sustainable economic development while supporting a diverse and growing marketplace. The Chamber is proud to partner with the Start Local podcast to raise the profile of businesses and nonprofits throughout Chester County. Learn more about the chamber at sccccc.com. That’s sccccc.com. 

Liam Dempsey: Hey, hey. Welcome to Start Local. I’m Liam Dempsey, and I’m here again with my fantastic co-host Erik Gudmundson. Erik, I’m a little afraid to ask given our pre-recorded conversations, but how are you today?

Erik Gudmundson: Every day is an adventure, and I’m happy to be here on this fun part of the journey.

Liam Dempsey: Absolutely. I’m so glad you could be here today. Folks, we are speaking today with Christopher Everett. Christopher is a Senior Vice President, Commercial Banker with Truist. Truist Bank. More importantly, or at least from where I sit, he’s also the CEO and founder of the RLE Go for It Foundation. Hello and welcome, Christopher.

Erik Gudmundson: Good morning. Hi Liam, how are you today?

Liam Dempsey: Yeah. I’m fantastic. Thank you. Glad that you’re here.

Christopher Everett: Excellent.

Erik Gudmundson: Christopher, it’s wonderful to have you. I see you at lots of networking events around the county, and now we get to dive a little deeper today. So I’m looking forward to the conversation.

Christopher Everett: Likewise, Erik, and it’s great to get a chance to chat with you. It’s always good to see and speak with you at some of those events that we attend together.

Liam Dempsey:  Yeah. I think you guys are probably the two most event-attending professionals in the area that I know. I don’t ever go to a networking event and not see one of you. So that’s that tip of the hat to the both of you. You really get out into the community and do what you can to support it. 

Christopher, let’s jump to questions. Here we go. You’ve been at the same bank, the same bank, for almost 25 years. So we’ll get into that specific feat in more detail because that’s very, very impressive. You’re an impressive individual. But let’s start by just telling us about Truist. It came into existence as a banking entity back in 2019 following a merger. Tell us a little bit about that. What are the two banks that came together? And tell us about Truist.

Christopher Everett: Yeah, Liam, you’re exactly right. So Truist itself is a fairly new name to your point, came into existence in 2019, but it was through the merger, we’ll call it a merger of equals between BBT and SunTrust. So two top 15 banks at the time, really strong, well-known banks in their markets, but chose to come together to put two to two together to make five essentially is what we like to call it. 

Truist is a top 10 bank right behind that top-tier, trillion-dollar banks. There’s Truist right there at half a trillion dollars in assets and really excited about getting into the market and living our purpose, which is to inspire and build better lives and communities.

Erik Gudmundson: And let’s talk about you specifically, your current role there is Senior Vice President, Commercial banker. And we expect that every workday is a little bit different for you in that role. So how would you describe your work week? What’s your typical day look like, and what keeps you busy at your day job?

Christopher Everett: Saying it’s a typical day would be an understatement. So we don’t really have typical days. Every day is unique and it’s different. And that’s what I like about it. It’s what I enjoy about what I get to do. 

So, largely my role, it’s to drive relationships, both new opportunities for the bank as well as servicing existing clients that we have within the bank. And so I generally am going to start my week with six to 10 appointments on the schedule. And those can range from coffees to breakfasts, lunch after hour events like Erik and I have seen each other at or lunch events.

But it’s really centered around again meeting with new prospective clients that we can introduce to Truist. Because while we are the combination of two 150-year-old banks, we’re still fairly new in this market. And there’s a lot of people that don’t truly understand who Truist is and what we stand for. And so I get a chance to tell that story, to paint that picture for individuals have the opportunity to meet with our clients and better understand what’s important in their world and how their business is growing, how their families are doing and what can we do to add value. 

But also being able to be a good community partner. We enjoy being active members of the communities that we serve, connected with local nonprofits, and investing in those nonprofits that are doing great work. And I get to joy and the pleasure of doing all of those different things for the bank and being the eyes and ears on the street. So it’s a great opportunity that I have. I don’t take it lightly, but I truly enjoy what I get to do. And to your point, no two days are alike.

Liam Dempsey: Yeah. We can hear in your voice that you like it. I want to talk about the fact that you’ve been with Truist and its predecessor for nearly 25 years, nearly a quarter of a century. And that speaks volumes about what the bank must have to offer you. Right? Because there are a lot of banks and not every bank is the same. I’m not trying to paint everyone with a brush, but there must be something about Truist that keeps you there, right? You’re a professional with options, and you’re staying true to where you’re at. Talk to us about how Truist and its predecessors have been able to hang on to you for so long.

Christopher Everett: Yeah. You’re correct. My career is not typical today. Oftentimes, you move around for a lot of different reasons, a lot of great reasons that people change. I haven’t had to do that because I was fortunate enough, blessed enough to find an organization early on that truly had a culture that I could believe in, one that supported who I am as an individual, what I believe in, but also stands behind what we say and what we do. So, every organization has a mission and a purpose, and it’s on a wall. And some lean into it more than others. Our organization truly leans into it. So whether we’re kicking off an earnings call, a morning huddle in a branch, it starts with our purpose, mission and values.

And so we’re talking about inspiring and building better lives and communities. We’re talking about our five core values of trustworthy, care, one team, success, and happiness. And so when you have an organization that has a culture like that and strong leadership, you, your teammates feel it, as employees, you feel valued. I’ve had the good fortune of, you know, I started, it was a part-time job for me as I was finishing school or going through school, and it turned into the next opportunity and then the next opportunity. 

And so over the last 24, 25 years, I’ve had the privilege of living in a couple of different markets, been relocated a couple of times, had different roles where I’ve gotten to learn from great leaders, but also gotten a chance to lead other teammates and see them lean into their career opportunities and grow and do different things within the bank that they’ve enjoyed doing. And so when you have an organization that supports you that way, that believes in the communities that we serve, and supports you in supporting the communities, I haven’t had a reason to look anywhere. I’ve had a really, really nice time here and continue to work my hardest to make sure that our communities understand who we are, what we bring to the table, and we’ll go from there.

Erik Gudmundson: I find it incredible that without any sort of rehearsal you were able to rattle off company values and company mission statement type information so quickly. Because the reality is as many values and mission statements are out there, very few employees can quickly recite them, let alone know them or understand them about the organization. So, that does say something about culture and your integration into that culture.

I want to go back to something you said with how you started there when you were, you know, still in school. You had a, you told us something in our pre conversation when you were a college athlete, how you were working part-time at a local branch and you had a bit of a wake-up moment there. Would you share that story with our, with our listeners?

Christopher Everett: Sure. I’d love to share it and I often share when I get the opportunity. But I was working at the bank and like you said, it was while I was in school and some focused on football and I’m doing my classwork and had this opportunity to start working at the bank. And truthfully I started because it was the highest-paying part-time job in Durham, North Carolina at the time. I think the mall was somewhere around nine bucks an hour and the bank was 10, 20 an hour. 

And I had the opportunity to start and you know, as a college student working a part-time job, I largely treated it as such. I would show up sometimes late, oftentimes not fully prepared for the day. And I had a mortgage lender, her name was Sandra. She came up to my teller window one day and I was working and she just starts talking and I’m thinking like, what is she, what is Sandra talking about? Because it sounds like she’s just, you know, just having conversation with herself. But she’s saying about how sometimes people get these really great job opportunities and they don’t understand what they have. They don’t understand the potential of what it can be and they treat it like a part-time job and they’re late a lot of times they’re wrinkled and this that. And she’s kind of going on this diatribe and I’m listening to her and I’m trying to do my thing and be respectful of what she’s saying.

But it didn’t resonate until probably about two weeks later when I was running late for work wearing a shirt that I’d taken out of the hamper because I didn’t have a clean shirt for work. And I realized, I said, geez, Sandra was talking about me the other day, and I told her about that. I told her about the experience, but more importantly, I did something about it. And so, you know, from that point forward, I started making sure that, you know, I pulled out my clothes the day before. I was properly, I was prepared for the day ahead. I also started wearing every once in a while, put on a full suit. I was still a part-time teller and I was behind the teller counter, but I knew that was not the perception I had that I wanted people to have of me.

And while I was not going to school for business, I didn’t intend to work in banking. I also always wanted to, and I was raised to always present myself a certain way and that people have, you know, they’re going to treat you the way that you treat yourself or how you carry yourself. 

And almost instantly people noticed. You know, I’d have clients that would say, oh wow, you look nice today. Or you wearing a full, you were in a suit today. And then, you know, I started having managers that would notice in different conversations. And I noticed the way that people interacted me was also different. 

And so that was very pivotal in my career with the bank. I don’t know that I would still be here without that conversation, without her taking the time to invest in me and you know, the Lord working in his own way for it to resonate the correct way. And that’s, I’m very grateful to her and I got a chance to share that with her probably about five years ago. We were together at a meeting and I told her how much that meant to me and that I’ve shared the story. And it’s great because not often people will invest in people that way anymore. There’s a lot of concern around how it’s taken and the misconception or whatever that turns into. But I am grateful for her taking the time to pour into me that way.

Liam Dempsey: Yeah, I love that. And I hear your point, right. There’s a diplomacy to tell somebody you’re not doing it right without being accusatory or judgmental is here’s an opportunity and she just left it with you. Right? I love that. I love that. Well, from those early days, Christopher, you’ve now progressed to the point where you’re an SVP in commercial banking and you’re based out in Westchester, Pennsylvania. But you didn’t start there, you’re not from the area. And as you shared you’ve walked through a few different markets and a few different departments. Talk to us about your career. Like where have you been working, and where have you been working within Truist.

Christopher Everett: Yeah, and I’ll try to condense that because it’s…

Erik Gudmundson: Yeah, please. It’s 25 years.

Christopher Everett: I know. A few different stops. But no, like I mentioned, I started it was a part-time job while I was in school. When I graduated, my degree is actually criminal justice. And so I wanted to get into federal law enforcement. In my mind, I was going to work for the ATF and so I was able to transfer and took a full-time position in Bowie, Maryland, as what we call now a relationship banker. So it’s servicing clients on the retail side of the house. And like with many things in government, that process took quite a while. And so I was getting really experienced in my role, and I was enjoying what I was doing.

And I had the opportunity to go through our leadership development program, which I did in 2004. And when I came out of that program, I then had the opportunity to start leading branches and decided that I was going to probably stay in banking. The fact that I was liking what I was doing, and I always say my mother’s really strong prayers, she never wanted me to go into law enforcement, and so it didn’t happen. But at that point, I had no real reason to stay in Maryland. I didn’t have family there or anything, and so moved back to North Carolina ,still as a branch leader. 

Uh, I had come to a point where I was ready for the next step. I wasn’t quite sure. And so one of the things, and you know, you asked about why to stay at the bank so long, is because we had such great leadership.

So I was able to speak to one of those leaders and say, hey, this is what I’m thinking. You know, is it commercial banking? Is it, you know, retail leadership? But these are the things I enjoy doing. What do you, what do you see for me? And we had a great conversation, which led to me pursuing what we call an area leader role, which is where you support an area of branches. But that took me to Fort Myers, Florida. So I relocated from Charlotte to Fort Myers, Florida, and I supported our branches at the time in Lee County, which was about 10. By the time I left, I had 30 branches that I supported between Naples and Northport. And that was a great opportunity for me because I learned a lot about myself as well as a leader. 

So, going there was about 12 months or so after the bank had acquired a failed institution. So getting a chance to onboard teammates and teach them about TRU as will be a different bank at the time. And you know, getting the market to understand who we are and paint that picture was really, really fun. 

Shortly thereafter, you know, we, I was there about four years, and then I had the opportunity to come to Pennsylvania as BB&T at the time, came into the Pennsylvania New Jersey market and almost do the same thing. Teach our teammates about the bank, teach our market about who we are and what our culture is. 

And so we moved from Fort Myers up to Bucks County. From there, I had an opportunity to lead our business banking team. So, still in Bucks County, but I led nine business bankers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Did that for a couple of years before transitioning to the role that I have now, housed in Westchester as a commercial banker. And so not leading teams anymore. I’m getting a chance to be more of an individual producer and relationship developer. 

So it’s been a really terrific journey. And to your point, you know, getting to stay with the same organization over a period of time, it’s largely because I wasn’t in the same role. I wore the same name tag. But I got a chance to learn a lot of different things about the bank, about myself, about different parts of the East Coast within our footprint. And I continue to learn today, but also get a chance to share a lot of those experiences.

Erik Gudmundson: There’s always something new to learn, and figure. And it’s like, you know, if I wake up and I go to bed that day and I haven’t learned something, I’ve done something wrong.

Christopher Everett: So it was a waste of a day. Right?

Erik Gudmundson: Exactly. And we talked earlier about how we both attend a lot of community networking events. I have to ask you, why do you attend so many events, and what’s the value there for you?

Christopher Everett: You know, it’s multifaceted Erik, when you, when I think about that. So, for one. You know, getting a chance now to be here in Chester County, I get to live and work in the same community. There are times in my career when I was supporting such a wide area. I was supporting teammates in multiple different communities and didn’t get to feel as connected. 

And so being able to attend different events and having a young family allows us to start making connections and start developing roots here. Also from a business standpoint, it allows me to learn more about our market. What’s important to folks in Chester County and surrounding areas, what types of businesses we have, and what are their needs. What type of nonprofits do we have, and how do we support them through our philanthropic arm at the bank? It allows me to better connect with the existing clients that I have, but also identify new future clients and how we connect with them. 

And then lastly, I would say, selfishly, I enjoy it. You know, I have a really nice time at the events. I meet individuals like yourself. And some of the events are just flat out fun. And so selfishly, I get to do it for those reasons as well.

Liam Dempsey: Christopher, you’re the founder and CEO of the RLE Go for It Foundation. The mission of your foundation is to inspire and expose children and young adults of diverse backgrounds to the game of golf in addition to the educational, networking, career, and recreational opportunities it can foster. Hopefully, I read that correctly from your organization’s website.

Erik Gudmundson: But there’ll be a quiz on that mission statement for you later,  Liam, to see if you know you’re as on point as Christopher. So, we’ll see.

Liam Dempsey: I doubt it. Christopher, tell us about your non-profit, and I’m really curious about when you started it, but more importantly, why?

Christopher Everett: Yeah. So, it started, take just a small step further back. It started with a book that I wrote, Go for It. A family and golf Story. And I wrote that book and released it on what would have been my father’s 78th birthday, which was January 8th of 2022. And the book really tells a story of a young man and his family environment, and getting exposed to something new. In this case was golf, which was something that was very outside of the family, the typical family dynamic. But it was something that had his interest, and he really devoted himself to it and pursued it and turned it into something great for both himself and his family.

And so as the book was being edited, because I’m not a writer by trade, and so it took a little while to get it to something that people would actually read and enjoy. I wanted to kind of bring it to life. And so that’s where the foundation came into place. 

And so I personally understand the value of experiences and exposure. So if you would have asked me when I was 8 or 9 years old what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have told you, New York City bus driver. And the reason for that is that’s what I saw my father and grandfather do. They drove bus to New York City transit. And while it’s a great career, they both provided for their families and did things they wanted to do, it was limited based on what I saw and my vision. And so I understand that for young people, they’re going to aspire to whatever they see. And so they don’t know that it exists. They can’t reach for that; they can’t strive for it. And so that’s what the foundation really does. 

Golf is a game that I truly enjoy playing. It provided me a lot of mental solace and stability as my dad was going through a medical condition, which ultimately overcame him. But I continued through that. But then also started to make a lot of connections just with different people I would meet on the golf course and conversations that I would have. 

But there’s parts of our community I don’t get to experience golf in that way. They don’t get to experience the industry and what it has to offer, or those relationships that they get to build. And so that’s what our foundation truly does, is it gets youth on the golf course learning about the golf industry and opens up opportunities not to per se, make them professional golfers, but to let them know that, you know, some of the things that they may be pursuing in life for career wise may tie to golf. Maybe it doesn’t tie to golf, but knowing how to interact on a golf course, in a golf setting, will help them make that next connection for that next business opportunity. And that’s what we, that’s what we look to do.

Erik Gudmundson: So, Go For It, holds events at golf courses, and I’m quite, I’m curious if you hold them at golf courses around here. So I’m also wondering, you know, what do those events exactly entail and how do you recruit people to join the organization?

Christopher Everett: Yeah. So, we have not done an event around here yet. That is something that I want to do, and it’s on our 2026 list to make happen. But the primarily, the first set of events that we did were in Palm City, Florida. And the reason for that is, as I was going through the research to do the book, I learned that at the time, there were maybe seven or eight black owned golf courses. So there’s tens of thousands in the country, but only less than 10 that were black owned. And so I wanted to reach out to one of those courses to see, you know, try to make a connection and go from there. And I reached out to Stanley Campbell, who is the owner of Martin Downs, which is in Palm City, which is in South Florida. I have some family down that area.So it kind of made the connection good as well. And what I was hoping would be maybe a 30-minute conversation or meeting. He took the meeting and three hours later, after getting to share my vision, what it was I wanted to do. I learned that it was something that he was passionate about as well, and he was excited to help support us and bringing that to life. So that was great. And that was the reason why we started where we started.

As far as the youth that we work with, we have developed a great partnership and relationship with the Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, and we’re developing one with Jack and Jill as well. These are, for the most part, national organizations that have similar interests. They’re big on workforce development, on creating experiences and exposures for their youth, and preparing them for life. Those are great organizations with great reputations, but also see the value in what we’re looking to do and have partnered with us really, really well. So I’m excited about that. 

Since our beginning, though, we’ve now expanded. We’re starting to do events in different places. We’ve now done one in Naples. We’ve been in Myrtle Beach and Conway, actually on campus at Coastal Carolina University. And so really excited about the continued growth that we’ve had with the events, but probably more so the funding that we generate from those events that we’re then able to use for scholarships.

Liam Dempsey: So Go For It was recently inducted into the African AmErikan Golfers hall of Fame, and that was for this year, 2025, and it was given the Innovator Award. Given that your organization is so young, you just shared that it was 2022. That’s a major accomplishment. That is. That’s a huge feather in your cap. That’s congratulations. And just wow, wow, wow. But my question is, this.. What has it meant to you and to your colleagues at the organization to be honored by the African American Golfers Hall of Fame?

Christopher Everett: Yeah. And so, Liam, you’re exactly right. And I have to say, when I received the email, I had to take a double-take. I said, is this a spam or, You know. So I had to make a few phone calls to confirm the legitimacy of it. But I’ll tell you, it was such an honor. And I look at our board. So we have a board of 12. No one’s paid within the organization, so it’s all volunteer. And so these are all individuals who were dreamers enough to believe in mine and willing to put in the work to bring this thing to life. So, I’m super grateful for each one of them and appreciative for what they bring to the table, their skill sets, and their willingness to work. 

But getting inducted into the African AmErikan Golfers Hall of Fame was really, really special. And so getting A chance to go down, it’s a weekend of events. And so we had roundtable discussions. We had golf industry professionals come in and be able to have Q and A with us. We got a chance to meet other individuals. Two individuals who stood out to me is Carter from Carter Spectrum Golf. So he’s a young man who has autism, and he has written the book. His organization is Carter’s Spectrum Golf, and he’s written the book Swing Beyond the Spectrum How Autism Became My Superpower on and off the course. And, you know, he’s getting a chance to hear what he’s done, how he’s taken what some people could see and feel bad for him or say, oh, you have this or that going on. He’s turned it into something so super positive and has impacted so many people across the country.

And so to be able to be in a class with Carter and get to build a relationship with Carter and think about how we can incorporate what he’s doing into what we’re doing was really, really neat. 

Another one was Jimmy James, who authored the book Playing from the Rough. And so it’s his personal journey of playing the country’s top 100 courses in the year. But to understand his story of super humble beginnings, to being an Exxon executive, to getting to play the top 100 courses in the country in a year. uUtimately to prove out the fact that relationships still matter and people are willing to help. 

So, not having memberships to all 100 courses, of course, he did not. But by playing this course and sharing what his vision was, people would introduce him to individuals that could get him on the next course. And he did this in the course of a year. So just hearing and getting to share and connect with individuals that have that kind of drive, that kind of determination and vision, you know, getting a chance to meet the individuals from the newly formed Bohemian Golfers Federation, it was just really, really neat, and it’s inspiring and gives additional energy to what we’re doing and the opportunities out there. So, thank you for highlighting that, and I appreciate it, but we’re super excited about it as well.

Erik Gudmundson: It’s a fascinating organization. What’s next for Go for it?

Christopher Everett: Yeah. So, for Go For It, a couple of things that on the horizon that I’m looking to do. So, for one, I really want to carve out some time to work on the second book. I’ve got the ideas in my brain, and I’ve probably got two chapters on paper, but I really want to need to carve out some time to really flesh it out. I think it’ll be, it’s timely. Definitely knowing the direction I want to take the book, how I want to expand on part one, I really want to get that out.

Secondly is I want to do, I want to develop an app. So, part of our deal is getting youth introduced to the game and the industry. But the reality is it’s not the traditional, just put them on the course. That’s a part of it. But we have to meet youth where they are and that’s on devices, whether it’s phones, iPads, what have you. And I’ve got a really neat idea about how to do that and actually create, make it a learning tool that also includes golf. And so, finding the right individuals to help bring that to life.

And then I would like to, I would love to see our book on a big screen. So I’d love to turn Go For It into a short film or full movie.

So, those are a couple of things that are on my list that I want to bring to fruition. And I’ve already mentioned earlier, being able to bring it here locally. I would love to do an event here in Chester County, and kind of thinking through what’s the best way to put that together.

I was in a, one of those networking events, Erik, that we attend, but I was in one recently and learned a lot more about the golf Zone. And so I look forward to speaking with Steve DeMarco and kind of learning more about what they have going on there and if there’s an opportunity to leverage their what they do with what we do.

Liam Dempsey: In Go for the book, you wrote about the value and importance of HBCU, Historically Black Colleges and Universities to the book’s main character, Tyler. And I won’t give any spoilers away, I’ll leave it at that. And Christopher, you yourself attended an HBCU, North Carolina Central University. So clearly, HBCU, your experience at one mattered a lot, and you’ve shared in previous conversations that it’s had a very strong positive influence in your life. Why do you think HBCU are so important even today?

Christopher Everett: Yeah. They are super important. So as you know, historically it was the only place that African Americans could go and seek higher education. And it’s evolved today, and people do have, everyone does have options. However, I think the relationships that you build, just the experience. Personally, for me, I’ve benefited from the smaller class size, the type of student that I was, and the type of learner that I am. Being able to have a little bit smaller classroom and that connectivity with my professors is meaningful in my learning journey.

But also just from a cultural standpoint, being able to connect in a different way. A lot of times individuals feel out of place in certain settings. And so to be able to be someplace where there’s shared experiences is helpful because you can feel safe, you can feel comfortable, and the learning can take place. Not that you’re not comfortable or you’re not safe in other settings, but it’s no different than, you know, we’ve got a lot of communities around the Philadelphia area where there’s a certain demographic and those types of things, and people feel comfortable. You cling to that. And I think that’s part of what HBCUs bring to the table as well. But also, you know, being able to expose you to the world because we know that the world is diverse. It’s not historically black, it’s not historically white. It’s diverse. And so we get that exposure as well.

And then from this fun and social side, you can’t beat an HBCU homecoming. Homecomings are just one of a kind. They’re an experience all of its own. The fraternities, the sororities, the cookouts, all of those things that again speak to culture and connectivity. But I wouldn’t trade my HBCU experience for anything. And it’s not for everyone, but it’s certainly a clear and important option for a lot of folks.

Erik Gudmundson: You shared previously that you went to North Carolina Central University on a football scholarship, and that journey with the scholarship taught you a significant lesson about perseverance. Would you share that for us?

Christopher Everett: Yeah, absolutely. And perseverance and the strength of a good village, the importance of a strong village. So, like you said, so high school had a great high school career and was recruited to North Carolina Central, and I wanted to attend Central. And so it was a great marriage there. I didn’t just go because of football, but I’d been a student athlete all my life. From T-ball at five or six to, you know, high school playing three or four sports. Football just became the one thing that I was best at and that I fell in love with. So getting to go to college on a scholarship and what I thought at the time was a four year scholarship was great.

However, after our first year, my first year, which I redshirted, we had a coaching change, and the new coaching staff did not like smaller running backs, which was what my position was. I was a tailback and I was a smaller running back, tailback. And he wanted to go to a different position. And so that meant that I didn’t have a spot on the team. And I also didn’t have scholarship dollars, which was devastating. It was hard to, for me to accept, number one, not being good enough. I’m the man. I was the man on my high school team. What do you mean? 

And then number two, not being a student athlete. So that was tough. And so my village gave me a moment to deal with that and then quickly kicked into gear. I had an opportunity to go back home for the summer. 

One of the high school coaches, not even my coach, but across town, heard what had happened and he started making a few phone calls. But he also made the commitment to meet me for workouts 5:30 every morning that summer, which we did. And he was not easy on me at all, which was good. It was, I needed that. And so he made a couple of phone calls. I had conn to go to a different university and play ball, and I would have had scholarship dollars as well. But during that time, it was before now where you have the transfer portal, where students could transfer all over the place. And so in order to transfer within the conference, I would have had to sit out for a season or two. I can’t remember. But unless Central released me, which they would not do. So that meant that they went to scholarship dollars. 

So I, again, it’s like, well, I don’t need to go back to school, and I want to get into law enforcement. That’s not a requirement. And my village was not having it. These was parents, friends,and  family. And like I said, they let me have my moment, but then they got me refocused.

And so I returned to Central, and the coach allowed me to try out for the team during the spring, during spring ball, but at a different position. And so I transitioned from tailback to corner. And so I had to put in the work. I had never played corner before. I played some defense, but at a different position. So I had to learn different footwork, I had to learn the different skills and how to read offenses and understand the playbook. And I did that. I committed myself to it, and I was able to make it back onto the team, but without a scholarship for that year.

And then the following year earned my scholarship back and was a starter in my last two and a half years. So I’m really appreciative of that journey because again, I learned a lot about myself and the importance of perseverance. And it taught me that you have to continue to earn your seat because you have something today. You can’t rest on your laurels. You got to continue to fight. You got to continue to prove yourself and push through. And so I’m appreciative of that lesson today. I was not then, but I’m definitely appreciative of it today and happy to share it with others.

Liam Dempsey: Thank you for doing so. You’ve shared in this conversation that you’re not from the area and you’ve talked about your journey here, but you’ve lived now in Chester County for a few years. What do you find most endearing about living in this region, this little corner of the world?

Christopher Everett: You know, people are people. And I love getting to connect with them. We found a neighborhood here that is perfect for my family. My wife and I have two small girls, five and two, and a son who’s 13. And our community has been very welcoming to our family. I love the seasons, and so I grew up in North Carolin,a where we do have seasons. Maybe not as harsh a winter, but I love being back in a place that has seasons unlike my time in Florida. 

And then the food choices. I love going out and trying different cuisines and different foods. So, there’s a lot of things to enjoy in our county in addition to just the space. And so we moved here, able to get a little bit more space and have the backyard for the family to get out and move around in and this to drive to and from work, getting a chance to kind of decompress, driving through horse country and just wooded areas and things like that that you know, Chester county has to, to offer. So it’s really, really neat, and we’ve enjoyed our time.

Erik Gudmundson: Well, you mentioned the food word and anytime anybody talks about food and restaurants we have to ask, do you have a go-to spot that you’ve discovered that you really, really enjoy? Whether it’s, you know, taking a client out to lunch to close a deal or just out with the family?

Christopher Everett: Yeah. So, my wife and I have found is black Lab here in Phoenixville on Bridge street. And so when we get a chance to we get childcare, we’ll sneak out there for a little bit. From a work-wise lunch, it depends on where I’m at. So if I’m at my office in Westchester, I’m probably at Sedona a little more than I should. And then from down in Kennett Square area, Savannah Bistro, which Erik, I know we’ve met there once before for lunch or the Naked Olive, which I think I’ll be at today. So those are kind of my spots.

Liam Dempsey: Christopher, you’ve been with Truist Bank now for again almost 25 years. Clearly you enjoy it. It’s a big bank. I expect that the bank is always hiring, but is Truist hiring locally? And if so, where can folks learn about the positions and opportunities?

Christopher Everett: Yes. And so to your point, we’re in Big bank and we are always hiring. And so the best place to look is truist.com click on the Careers tab and take a look at what’s out there. You can also sort it by the job type that you’re looking for, what you’re interested in. But there’s definitely opportunities for quality individuals that are of good character, that are willing to work hard and excited about building a market because for us, that’s what it’s about. We’re looking to grow market share and share more with the community, who we are, and what we’re about.

Erik Gudmundson: Sticking with that community theme. Tell us about a business or a nonprofit organization you’ve met in Chester County that more folks should know about.

Christopher Everett: Once I said more folks that know about this one because I’m not, I think they’re pretty well out there. But I like so good now Ameri does a really great job with that organization. And you know, it it goes along with things are important to me. And so if you look at even the boards that I’m on, whether it’s Junior Achievement, you know, Boy Scouts, the Chester County Chamber, it’s all things that, you know, relate to who I am as a person. I love creating experiences for youth and getting them involved in things that maybe they hadn’t done before. And that’s what so Good now is all about. So I think that’s a great organization that people should know about and support their efforts. 

But I also have to put a plug in for the Community Foundation. So if you’re looking for opportunities to connect or organizations that are out there, there’s a ton of them, and the Community foundation has list out there that you can and identify ones that you personally connect with as well.

Liam Dempsey: Thanks for those two, and we’ll be sure to put links to both of those organizations over on our website on the Show Notes page at startlocal.co.

Christopher, I’ve got a two part question for you or maybe it’s a one part question and you can answer in two ways. Clearly you’re out and about supporting the community in a lot of different ways. You mentioned you’re on boards and you’re attending a lot of community events to explore how your bank, your employer Truist can be involved and support those. But how can, and Go for it, the foundation is doing good work to help those who don’t have an opportunity to do so. Learn more about golf and all the many, many benefits inside benefits that come from that. How can our local community support both TRUIST and your Go For It Foundation? If you want to answer those separately, we’ll certainly give you the time to do so.

Christopher Everett: Sure. Thank you. I think from a TRUIST standpoint is take the time to get to know us. So you know, the banking space is crowded, and we are in the banking space. But one of the things, because of our size, because of our commitment to our purpose, mission and values, there’s a lot more that we bring to the to the table. We’ve been recognized as the number one nonprofit-friendly institution. And so it’s not just because of the products and services we offer on the banking side, but our foundations and endowments team and the administrative services that they bring to the table for those types of organizations. Our Truist foundation and the way that it supports organizations doing great work.

So I encourage people to take the time, if you get a phone call from us to get to know and then see if there’s ways or how can we add value for either that you as an individual, your organization or someone that you know of. And as far as the Arleigh Go for It Foundation, I’ve shared some of those things that are important to us. You know, writing the book that’s on me, I gotta, I gotta do that. But if there’s app creators or movie writers out there, love to have conversations to learn more about that process. And as I said, I do want to do an event here locally and not just one of our golf events. And so getting ideas from individuals that support youth organizations as to, you know, what they think youth in our community would love to be a part of and how it connects to golf, I’d love to chat about that as well.

Erik Gudmundson: Christopher Everett, Senior Vice President, Commercial Banker with Truist. Aside from bumping into you at an upcoming Chamber of Commerce event or a Chester County community foundation event, where can listeners connect with you?

Christopher Everett: Yep. So of course, at the bank. So at Truist, my email is christopher.everettruist.com but also the hourly Go For It foundation we are our website is goforeitusa.com, and that’s the fore is F O R E. So like in the golf4 goforeitusa.com, it’s information about our organization, my book, and the like.

Liam Dempsey: Christopher, thanks for your time today. I really appreciate it. It’s always a pleasure.

Christopher Everett: Liam, thank you for the invite. I enjoyed the conversation with you and Erik. Thank you both.

Erik Gudmundson: Christopher, thank you so much for coming on. And thank you also to my co-host, Liam Dempsey. I’m Erik Gudmundson.

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