By NICOLE LOGGINS / Staff Writer

COLUMBIANA – After the April 27 tornadoes, bankers from Bryant Bank traded in suits for jeans and work boots to volunteer for more than 2,000 hours.

According to Matt Pavlick, marketing coordinator for Bryant Bank, the bank reached out to their customers in affected areas and started volunteering. The company recently received a national community service award for its efforts.

Bryant Bank was presented with the Revitalizing Your Community Award on Feb. 21 in Palm Desert, Calif. Numerous banks applied for the award and Bryant Bank was selected as the only winner.

“It’s a bank-wide award but the Columbiana branch played a vital part in volunteer efforts,”  said Pavlick.

The bank has received community service awards before but nothing on the national level until now, Pavlick said.

“It’s a true testament to bankers putting service before themselves,” Pavlick said.

Bryant Bank had teams volunteering every day after the tornado destruction. Bankers delivered water, cleared debris and provided meals for those affected by the natural disaster. Employees even forfeited a company-wide picnic day to volunteer instead.

“I think the biggest thing was in June, we have a family company day out with fellowship, and because of the tornadoes we thought it would be better used as a volunteer day instead,” Pavlick said.

As a result, Bryant Bank had more than 50 bankers come to Tuscaloosa to help with disaster relief, some from as far as Baldwin County.

“Bill Gray at the Greystone location and Billy Jones in Columbiana are great people and care about so many people,” Pavlick said.

Jones, who works at the Bryant Bank in Columbiana, said they went to smaller locations affected by the storms.

“What we did, locally, we went to smaller locations in the Birmingham area on Saturdays to work and try to help the different families obtain some normalcy in their lives,” he said. ” It was a humbling and rewarding experience for us.”