Alex Sink Spotlight

Alex Sink worked for our company for 26 years, from 1974-2000, and then went on to a distinguished political career in Florida. She served as the second chief financial officer of the state of Florida and as treasurer on the board of trustees of the Florida State Board of Administration, and was a nominee for Governor in the 2010 election and a nominee in the 2014 special election for Florida's 13th congressional district.

Alex reflected on how she helped build our company’s business in Florida and what it meant for our clients as Bank of America’s reach grew throughout her career.

Taking the opportunity to build the business

Alex joined North Carolina National Bank in Charlotte in 1974. “When I joined, we were not even the biggest bank in North Carolina. I took an analyst role, using data to decide where to open new branches in the state. It took a lot of travel, but it was a lot of fun.”

One of the things that Alex valued in those early days, and something she said remained true throughout her career and to this day, was CEO at the time Hugh McColl’s advice for teammates who wanted to succeed. “He told us that it didn’t matter who your parents are or where you came from, you’ll get promoted here based on merit and how well you do your job.” 

As she gained experience, Alex moved to the corporate credit team and took on a wide territory covering the southeast and Midwest regions of the country. When there came an opportunity to open a loan production office in New York City, she went to set it up. The team was very successful, and when the company started to expand in Florida, she moved to Miami in 1984. “Like New York, Miami was a wonderful opportunity to start from the ground up. I’m very proud of the work we did there. We had wonderful teammates, with a strong sense of camaraderie. We were building the business and taking opportunities to give back to the community.” After five years in Miami, Alex relocated to Tampa, where her husband had his law office and where they raised their family. 

Alex says that she remains proud of the former colleagues who have achieved their own successful careers. She says many now have influential positions at the company or with other organizations, or have pursued careers as entrepreneurs and business owners. Yet all of them remain committed to giving back and participating as leaders in non-profit activities to support their communities. “When we worked together, we all had this feeling of living our values through teamwork, and we were having fun while we did it.”

“We had trust, teamwork, and knew that every day we were working to improve the lives of our customers”

Reflecting on managing through an economic environment that included three significant recessions, Alex says it became clear just how important it was to understand clients. “To be successful you have to have a client focus. We were constantly talking to our customers and listening to what they told us. And we went to work every day knowing we were going to make decisions to help people make their lives better – whether it was putting in a pool at their house, sending their kids to college or expanding their small business. We had trust and teamwork, and we knew that every day we were working to improve the lives of our customers.”

Some of the innovations that Alex drove are still making a significant difference today. “We saw that there was a lot of opportunity with middle market companies in Florida. We started a pilot in Tampa to serve companies with $5 million - $50 million in revenue, and it’s became and remains an important part of the company’s business.” Alex also saw a way to improve client service in Florida. She started a dedicated marketing group to reach the Spanish-speaking community and pushed to hire Spanish speakers so that all clients would understand that our company valued their business. 

“I’m still a client - I never left.”

For Alex, the best thing about the Bank of America Alumni Network is the events that the local group sponsors several times a year in Tampa. “It’s an opportunity to reconnect and see people I worked with, and it’s also a chance to get to know new people who share the same or similar experiences, and continue to do a lot of non-profit work for the community.”

 “And I am still a client – I never left. And I still have my original credit card account.”