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If you ask United Bank leaders what the secret to their 186 years of business success is, there鈥檚 a high chance the people will be top of the list.

There鈥檚 a common saying at United: 鈥淥ur greatest asset is our people.鈥� In fact, the Bank鈥檚 leading culture has earned it several workplace awards in recent years from 黑料社入口week and U.S. 黑料社入口 & World Report.

United has a long history of banking tradition, and the employees who call the Bank home are known to have long careers 鈥� spanning several decades 鈥� with the company. Douglas Ernest, Jr., commercial banker at United鈥檚 Myrtle Beach office, celebrated 10 years with United last month and expects to celebrate many more milestones with the Bank throughout his career. 鈥淚 like to jokingly say I bleed green for United Bank, but it鈥檚 true,鈥� he notes.

When United Bank acquired Carolina Financial Corporation in 2020 and assumed management of former CresCom Bank locations, updating branch signage to United鈥檚 shamrock green wasn鈥檛 the only change that needed to be made. As with all mergers, integrating new employees into the United Bank fold was a top priority for management. 鈥淭here were a handful of legacy employees who were chosen to relocate to the Carolinas to help establish United in the region,鈥� said Ernest, a lifelong West Virginian. 鈥淚 think we wanted someone down here to set the tone and serve as a dot connector 鈥� someone who could point the new folks in the right direction and help answer questions in those first few months post-merger.鈥�

Ernest jumped at the opportunity, and by New Year鈥檚 Day 2022, he was packing his bags and preparing to move to the Grand Strand.

Ernest started as a part-time teller after graduating from high school and continued that work while studying business at West Virginia University. The son of a United Bank veteran, Ernest was excited to continue the family tradition, but more importantly, he looked forward to creating his own path at the company. Upon graduating from college, he accepted a credit analyst position, which progressed to a commercial portfolio manager role.

In addition to several promotions, he was notably one of 30 employees chosen for the Bank鈥檚 coveted four-year Leadership Development Program. He also recently began his education at the SC Bankers Association Bankers School at the University of South Carolina.

In early 2024, Ernest was promoted to commercial banker, where he鈥檚 responsible for maintaining existing banking relationships as well as going out and bringing in new business for the Bank. 鈥淎 huge part of banking is being out in the community, getting involved in different organizations and networking events, and being the face of the Bank in the market,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 try to meet as many people as possible and put my best foot forward on behalf of United.鈥�

He says United鈥檚 relationship-based approach and customer-first attitude set it apart from other banks in the region, recently named best local bank by the Myrtle Beach Herald and Forbes two years in a row. 鈥淣o matter which of the eight branches you visit in the Grand Strand, you鈥檙e always going to be treated with care.鈥�

Even with a reputation as the 鈥渘ewer kids on the block,鈥� United has stayed true to its local decision-making strategy, trusting a staff of former CresCom employees who live and work in the communities they serve. 鈥淚 may be newer to the region, but the team here is homegrown,鈥� says Ernest. 鈥淭hese are still your same community bankers who care about the needs of their customers. Just with the benefit of additional tools and technologies, which allow us to better serve them.鈥�

For Ernest, the Grand Strand has become home. He and his wife, Scottie, a fifth-grade teacher at Myrtle Beach Elementary School, recently tied the knot, and the two have already created their own 鈥渂lended family鈥� together. 鈥淔irst, it was just me and my dog Tucker, then I met Scottie, and she brought her cat Zoe along!鈥� Ernest jokes. The couple looks forward to building a life together in their new home. 鈥淭his is truly a wonderful place to live and work. We plan on putting down roots and being here for a long, long time.鈥�