Some people just know what they want to be when they grow up.
Kelly Peck is one of those. She has been in the banking business since the 90s, climbing up through the ranks and enjoying every step of the way. An executive vice president in commercial lending at TowneBank, Peck focuses on engineering loans and helping to finance dreams.
Peck, 59, has made banking her life’s work. She has been in the industry for more than three decades. She came to TowneBank in 2004 from Harbor Bank, and she has never looked back, embracing opportunities to learn new skills and position herself to succeed.
Peck, whose office is on Old Oyster Point Road, finds challenge in commercial lending. It’s never the same problem and sometimes it takes innovative thinking to achieve the goal.
“I like the creativity of figuring out the deal,” she says.
At any one time, Peck has up to 24 loans in process. “It’s a lot to juggle,” she says. “But I love it.”
A graduate of Christopher Newport University, Peck has a degree in finance. She always thought she wanted to be an accountant, but after experiencing an audit, she quickly changed her mind. She got her first banking job after walking into a bank to refinance her house. The rest is résumé history. Peck has worked at several local banks over the years, but she has been at TowneBank the longest and considers it “home.”
Helping people has been hugely rewarding for Peck, whose clients come mainly from referrals. She is hands-on and available, working to make the often-treacherous loan process a little less stressful and instead, turning it into a productive and rewarding experience for people and businesses.
“I love seeing my clients being able to realize their dream. I enjoy seeing them be successful and feeling like I was a part of it,” says Peck, who prides herself on being accessible to her clients.
Peck appreciates not only the challenge of making a loan happen, but also the people aspect of the business. During the pandemic, she says she realized just how much she “missed people and the interaction. “I am a people person,” she says.
When Peck is not crunching numbers and ushering clients through the loan process, she can be found on her mountain bike or traveling with her husband. She delights in being active and outside. She is a cross stitcher and scrapbooker and has a cat named Nick, who was rescued from outside of a McDonald’s.
Peck is a detail person, by her own admission, a “little OCD.” She makes lists and is a “middle of the night thinker.” She is currently in a “gnome” phase and has placed several gnomes throughout her office. And here’s something most people don’t know about Peck: she reads magazines from the back to the front.
One of Peck’s favorite books is The Hero Effect by Kevin Brown. The book, she says, has helped her gain a huge appreciation for all of the people who have played a part in her career. The book talks about how the image one sees in the mirror is the product of all the people who helped that person along the way.
“I know I have had the opportunity to work with some of the best bankers on the Virginia Peninsula,” she says. “They have mentored me along the way. They all have been a blessing for me.”
TO THE POINT:
Kelly Peck, TowneBank, Executive vice president, commercial banking and lending
Address: 1 Old Oyster Point Rd., Newport News, VA 23602
Phone: 757-249-7672
Email: Kelly.Peck@townebank.net
Be the first to comment