Author: Anthony Sassano

LAKELAND, FL – Citizens Bank & Trust is excited to announce that Wesley Barnett, of Lakeland Hospitality Group, is joining their Board of Directors.

Wesley Barnett is a native of Lakeland, the son of Carol and Barney Barnett. He graduated from All Saints Academy in Winter Haven in 2004 and then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University’s Calloway School of Business. Barnett later attended UCLA Anderson, earning his Masters of Business Administration.

Barnett is involved in a wide-ranging collection of activities throughout Polk County and the State of Florida, including start-up investments and real estate development. He is also deeply committed to improving the community through philanthropic endeavors, most recently assisting with the annual United Way campaign, serving on the board of The Children’s Movement, and as a founding member of Bonnet Springs Park.

Wesley currently resides in Winter Haven, Florida with his wife, Ashley Bell, and daughter, Raleigh.

“We are both pleased and fortunate to have Wesley join our bank family,” said Citizens Bank & Trust President Greg Littleton. “He represents a tremendous legacy and is a true asset to our community.”

Citizens Bank & Trust is a full service financial institution. In addition to business checking and savings plans, they also offer a wide range of loan products, as well as trust and investment services. As Polk County’s oldest community bank still in existence, Citizens continues to provide customers with high quality financial products and superior customer service.

For more information on Citizens Bank & Trust visit www.citizens-bank.com.

Citizens Bank & Trust’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Weymon Snuggs, was introduced as the chairman of the board of directors for the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce at their annual meeting on January 24^th.

His upcoming Chamber service will be another milestone in addition to his previous 20 years of service to the Lakeland community that he loves. He came out of retirement in 2008 to continue working in his community as he joined the Citizens Bank & Trust team. Snuggs and Citizens are a good fit because top management, from CEO Greg Littleton down, share his civic-mindedness. “I’m very appreciative of him (Littleton) because he not only supports but encourages our involvement in the community,” Snuggs said. “It’s one of our core values.”

As Chamber chairman, Snuggs plans to bring his energy and apply forward-thinking leadership to several projects during his one-year term. He would like to see the Chamber’s role strengthen in workforce development for both business owners and employees. Also, Snuggs previously led the groundwork for a new $4 million entrepreneurial center in 2016 and looks forward to continuing the project as Chamber chairman.

“Weymon is kind of a unique individual – he’s a banker who can think strategically,” Outgoing chairwoman Janice Jones said. “He’s good with numbers, but he’s also a very forward thinker.”

We are excited to see all that he will accomplish in this position.

LAKELAND, FL – The Greater Polk County Chapter of The Association of Fundraising Professionals celebrates National Philanthropy Day by recognizing and honoring individuals and organizations who make their work in philanthropy enjoyable and allow organizations to strive toward their mission.

The AFP Greater Polk County Chapter sponsors an annual awards program to recognize the outstanding achievements of individual, foundation and corporate philanthropists, fundraising volunteers, and professional fundraising executives.

Candidates can be nominated for the following categories: Philanthropist of the Year, Philanthropic Corporation of the Year, Philanthropic Small Business of the Year, Spirit of Philanthropy, Volunteer of the Year in Philanthropy, and Youth in Philanthropy.

Citizens Bank & Trust won the Philanthropic Corporation of the Year Award. This award is given to those who demonstrate high ethical standards and show the community that the spirit of giving is alive and well, and stronger than ever.

The Polk Education Foundation nominated Citizens Bank & Trust for the award for all they do to assist educational programs and services in Polk County.

Citizens Bank & Trust President Greg Littleton, in regard to the nomination and award, “Citizens Bank & Trust is humbled to receive such a wonderful recognition. Philanthropy is very important to us and we firmly believe in giving back to the community that we serve.”

The presenting sponsor of the event was GiveWell Community Foundation, a foundation that currently holds more than 280 charitable funds established by individuals, families, organizations, and private foundations and serves a variety of charitable services in Polk, Hardee, and Highlands County, Florida.

For more information on Citizens Bank & Trust visit www.citizens-bank.com; or contact Donovan Tinsley at Tinsley Creative, email: donovan@tinsleycreative.com; phone: 863-583-0081.