Sponsor Feature: Carroll Bank & Trust

Carroll Bank & Trust has been serving West Tennessee communities for over 100 years, beginning in 1907 as the Bank of McLemoresville in Carroll County before expanding its reach across multiple markets including Carroll, Benton, Gibson, Henry, and Henderson counties, and starting this year, Madison County. The bank has weathered economic highs and lows, including remaining open during the Great Depression, and has grown steadily through a model rooted in personal relationships and local trust. 

In 1972, the bank entered a new chapter as Carroll Bank & Trust (CB&T) when it was purchased by a group of local leaders who grew the bank by face-to-face conversations — meeting farmers in their fields, knocking on doors, and building trust one relationship at a time. That approach laid the foundation for decades of sustainable growth across multiple West Tennessee counties. Today, the bank operates nine branches, offering personalized financial solutions like checking and savings accounts, loans, mortgages, business banking, investments, and digital services. 

The next big step for Carroll Bank & Trust is moving into the Jackson, Tennessee, market, bringing community-minded banking to our city. Their new branch will be located at 79 Stonebridge Blvd. and will open this spring, bringing banking services, mortgage services, investment guidance through Raymond James, and a culture of care that sets it apart.

CEO Mike Cary has been connected to the bank for nearly his entire life, beginning as a teenage teller and later returning full-time in 1997. Under his leadership, the bank expanded investment services through Raymond James, grew strategically across multiple counties, and maintained a model of high-touch, locally made decisions. Today, Carroll Bank & Trust manages over $600 million in assets while remaining intentionally nimble and relationship-driven.

“One of our competitive edges as we move into the Jackson market is how quickly we can return a lending decision to somebody,” Cary said. “You know, that’s something that will set us apart in the Jackson market because we're a small and nimble community bank, and we don't have layers of hierarchical, organizational structure before we can get you a decision.”

CB&T’s  goal is a values-driven approach rooted in faith, stewardship, and service. Andrew Massie is leading the team as Jackson City President — he emphasizes that caring deeply for employees leads directly to caring for customers and the community, and that influence shapes everything they do, from how they solve problems to how they strive to support underfunded nonprofits.

“We’re not coming to Jackson because we hope to be profitable. We’re coming because we want to partner with the community in the way a community bank is meant to,” Massie said. 

For Massie, community banking looks like partnering with their customers and community by keeping its resources as local as possible. He wants Carroll Bank & Trust to be a good community partner in Jackson, and he wants to ensure that it’s putting into practice what it’s preaching. The bank aims to provide solutions and guidance for the people and communities it serves.

When Carroll Bank & Trust chooses to walk with people through financial challenges, relationships often shift from challenging to fruitful. By believing in individuals during difficult moments and committing to help them regain stable financial footing, the bank builds long-lasting, meaningful partnerships.

“It’s about caring for people rather than just trying to do your job,” Massie explained as he spoke about the culture among the employees he would like to build.

“We hire from within the markets that we locate in. So for the most part, those people have roots and connections that are deeply embedded in the communities that we serve, and that will enable us to be more active and committed when opportunities to do things that would be beneficial to the community arise,” Cary said. 

By hiring locally, supporting nonprofits, and investing time and resources back into the city, Carroll Bank & Trust hopes to offer Jackson something increasingly rare — the warmth of a true community bank paired with the tools and services of a modern financial institution.

You can learn more about Carroll Bank & Trust by visiting their website at www.carrollbank.com or following them on Facebook.