Meet Eric Floyd, vice president and regional manager of Chesapeake Bank’s Williamsburg market. Smiling, Floyd describes banking as “Fun — it really is. Every portrayal of a bank role on TV is very stiff, boring, but this is a fun industry. You have the opportunity to see a lot of things grow, help a lot of people. Our bank prides [itself on] doing a lot in the community.”
Born in Garysburg, North Carolina, Floyd moved to Virginia when his father was stationed at Langley Air Force Base. He grew up in Newport News, graduating from Denbigh High School and Hampton University.
Floyd started in the restaurant business, beginning in food service at age 15. He then worked at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Kingsmill Resort. While working as manager of the Eagles Restaurant at Kingsmill in 2008, he and a bank recruiter sitting at the bar began a fateful conversation. The recruiter told Floyd that he received great service while dining there the previous evening, and after asking the team who was in charge, Floyd was mentioned by multiple coworkers. He then offered Floyd a job in banking.
“I said, ‘You must be crazy,’” Floyd remembers about that day. “‘I don’t know anything about banking!’” Later that week, a panel interview provided him with “the opportunity to be an assistant manager in banking,” he says.
Floyd worked with First Market Bank for four years, moving on to C&F Bank for nine years. Celebrating three years at Chesapeake Bank, he began his career there as assistant manager and advanced to his current position of a regional manager.
“Anytime where I’m not focused on myself and I can just focus on other people’s goals, helping them get there, I’m happy. And banking provides that every day,” Floyd says. “If it’s not an external customer, then there’s an internal customer — my employees, my managers, other parts of the bank in which I try to be involved. I think that’s what I love the most.”
Every day is different, Floyd says, including tasks such as leadership coaching, planning and the opportunity to personally assist customers. As regional manager, Floyd is in charge of five Chesapeake Bank branches with 22 employees working with him, some floating from branch to branch.
Beyond his work at Chesapeake Bank, Floyd’s dedication to the Peninsula stretches to the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, of which he is president-elect.
Floyd graduated from Virginia Peninsula Chamber’s LEAD Peninsula in 2016. In 2018, he received his leadership certification from the Learning in Action: Focused on the Leadership Excellence program, presented to him by C&F Bank. And in 2021, he graduated from the Virginia Banker Association’s School of Bank Management, where he served as class president.
For eight years, Floyd has served on the board of the Virginia Peninsula Chamber. He is grateful for the mentors and leaders with whom he has worked, saying, “There have been so many people who have helped me find my voice, helped me learn about our community.”
Because the Chamber is “a business development chamber, we want to see businesses grow,” Floyd says. “The Chamber has put me in rooms and in front of people who I probably would never have been able to rub shoulders with. It continues to give me a greater understanding of our community. I am now able to see how I can help others or at least go outside of a room and help tell their story.”
It is not surprising to learn how Floyd truly loves to help people. He thought back to his initial involvement with the Virginia Peninsula Chamber as an ambassador. “With new businesses, our Chamber handles that new onboarding, thanking members, understanding their values — it’s a lot of what a good banker does when we onboard a customer, and so there was a fit for me. I just love the ability to serve. That’s my love language — acts of service.”
Beyond his commitment to Chesapeake Bank and the Chamber, Floyd finds his purpose in his family. He and his wife, Mandi, have been married for almost 23 years. “My family is why I do everything I do,” he says with a broad smile.
TO THE POINT:
Eric Floyd, vice president/regional manager, Chesapeake Bank
Address: 1229 Lafayette St., Williamsburg, VA 23185
Email: efloyd@ches.bank
Phone: 757-941-3355
Website: www.ches.bank
