ReStores Managers On A Mission For Habijax

Keith Coles and Mike Calder, store managers for the HabiJax ReStores are on a mission. Mike was a Wall Street broker and a restaurant owner in New York. Keith has over 35 years in every kind of retail position for Kohl’s, Kmart and Roses in Chicago. But they both wanted to go after a mission. They found it in Jacksonville - Mike at the 5800 Beach Boulevard store and Keith at the 6260 103^rdStreet store. Their mission is to apply their retail talent to making the ReStores a primary destination for building supplies and making the stores profitable enough to help finance homes built by Habijax. “While we accept donations of slightly used goods, we are now also buying new merchandise to provide quality and consistency for products ranging from rugs to mattresses to paint to tools,” Keith reported. “And we feel this retail environment is a big win for everyone. Contractors and customers can get the lowest prices in town. By reselling donated items we send less to the landfill. And our store profits help build homes for those who couldn’t normally afford one,” Mike said. Before you go to a big box store, you should check out the ReStores or visit Habijax.org/restore. Mike is on the left and Keith is on the right in this “Lunch with Les” photo.

Central Bank Selects Chris Tomlinson As Senior Vice President GGL Loan Officer

Chris Tomlinson has been selected as Senior Vice President GGL (Government Guaranteed Lender) Loan Officer for Central Bank announced John Thompson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Central Bank.

Tomlinson, based out of Central Bank’s St. Augustine branch, will be working primarily in the Northeast Florida market, offering customized financial services through SBA Lending Express, 7A and USDA lending vehicles to area businesses.

Prior to joining Central Bank, Tomlinson served as the Market Executive North Florida Region for Abundant Solutions Finance. He started his banking career in 2005 in Gainesville, Florida, as a financial business specialist with Wachovia. He has served in various commercial banking positions with financial institutions including BBVA Compass, Bank of America and Chase.

“Companies located in North Florida and those moving to North Florida are seeing a need for government supported financing to assist their growth and expansion plans,” explained Thompson. “Chris has had extensive experience with every type of government loan. He knows the pitfalls and he knows how to expedite the process to give our customers a real advantage with their lending issues. We are very fortunate to have Chris join Central Bank.”

Central Bank (centralbankfl.com), with headquarters in Tampa and branches in Winter Park and St. Augustine, Florida, is a full service, independently owned Florida community bank offering personal and business banking services. Central Bank has a 5 Star rating from Bauer Financial Rating Agency.