GREG SCHAEFER IS a financial advisor with Pinnacle Financial Partners, which provides banking, investment, trust, mortgage and insurance products and services for businesses, their owners and individuals.
HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED IN THE FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY? AND THEN WHEN DID YOU START WORKING WITH PEOPLE IN THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY?
When I was in high school, my girlfriend (now my wife) had her father pick us up from school one day. That was life changing for me. My dad would go to work in the morning and wouldn’t come home until after 6:00 in the evening. But her dad, who worked in equipment financing, had the flexibility to pick her up in the middle of the day.
Through the years I started asking questions and learning more about what he did. Then, when I was playing baseball in college and the Braves weren’t calling, I decided to pursue a career in equipment finance. I like the flexibility. Somehow, playing golf with a client or going hunting and fishing with them is considered work.
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AT PINNACLE?
I am a financial advisor working for Pinnacle’s equipment finance group, serving clients in Georgia and Florida. We work in teams. Sometimes I’m leading because it’s in my area of expertise, and other times I’m listening and learning from people who have different expertise. We are all charged with delivering a distinct customer experience, and it needs to get done no matter who’s leading and who’s following.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR WORKING STYLE?
I’m very much a team player. That goes back to when I was playing baseball at Kennesaw State. Individually none of us on the team were that impressive, but when we came together, we were really great.
That’s the way it is here at Pinnacle. We all have a different expertise, so that we can listen to our clients, figure out what their needs are and then deliver the best solution to them.
HOW DO YOU BUILD TRUSTING RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR CLIENTS?
Honesty, integrity, effective and timely advice, experience, responsiveness, consistency and just doing what’s right for the client. It’s not magic. Those things are well known and embedded in our culture and the way we do business.
HOW HAVE YOU HELPED YOUR CLIENTS DEAL WITH CHANGES IN THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY?
We’ve recently had a global pandemic, driver shortages, rising fuel costs, supply chain disruption, equipment shortages, rising interest rates, green energy demands, tort reform and inflation. Changes are coming from every direction all the time, and as circumstances change, equipment needs change, too. And that is why Pinnacle Bank keeps an advisory focus with our clients. Our service is really driven by needs and not sales.
We seek to fully understand our clients’ needs both now and in the future, and to not only meet expectations but exceed them as our clients need to pivot or adapt to their ever changing-world. We view the relationship as a partnership. It’s not transactional.
ARE YOU INVOLVED WITH STRATEGIC PLANNING AT YOUR COMPANY?
I don’t have any direct strategic planning responsibilities, but we’re all involved in this, and as a firm we know exactly where we’re going. Leadership is very transparent and consistent about our direction, and we know how to get there. The experience, resources and support are all there for our success.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR COMPANY GOING IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS?
One of the reasons I joined Pinnacle is because it’s a growth bank, and equipment finance is a major part of the growth strategy. Over the next five years, we will organically, strategically and methodically partner with the best equipment finance clients in Georgia and in Florida.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR OWN LONG-TERM GOALS?
I’m almost 49, and where I’d like to be in 15 or 20 years is right where I am now. That’s beyond retirement age, and I hope to still be working here because I love my company, I love my job and, most importantly, I love my clients. They become so much more than just customers; they’re your friends and your family.
ALL JOBS CAN BE STRESSFUL AT TIMES. WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT?
Stress often comes from challenges that we don’t feel capable of meeting and oftentimes those challenges are self-inflicted. I’m certainly guilty of that, but as I’ve grown and gained wisdom — theoretically — I’ve found that my faith, my wife, my friends and a really good bourbon are the best stress relievers.
Tomorrow always brings another opportunity for something great. So whatever is bugging you today, let it go, because tomorrow’s a new day.
WHAT’S THE LAST LEADERSHIP BOOK THAT YOU READ?
“Indispensable,” by Joe Callaway. It really complements the culture and philosophy of who we are at Pinnacle. The book walks you through ways to create and sustain client momentum, consistency in communications and experiences that are unlike any other.
WHAT KEEPS YOU ON TOP OF YOUR GAME?
Maintaining balance in my life and finding enjoyment outside of work so that when I get to work, I’m energized and want to do it at a high level.
