Marshall N. Bunce
IT Manager | Vice President
American Pride Bank, Macon, GA
Member, GBA Operations and Technology Committee
Published April 18, 2024
Q: What led you to a career in banking?
A: I earned my bachelor’s degree in business marketing with a minor in information technology. I love everything about marketing; even to this day I still nerd out about marketing topics. In my senior year of college, one of my options was to complete an internship. I had a great relationship with a branch manager at Security Bank who got me in touch with the Marketing Department. I ended up doing an internship there and it went swimmingly. The experience was really great. I graduated in May and got a call from the bank in June or July saying they were hiring for an internet banking CSR in the marketing department. I started in ’06 and everyone knows what happened in ’07-08, but once I got into the banking industry, I was bit by the bug because I loved it. I went from internet banking into treasury before the bank was bought out and became State Bank, which moved us under the IT division so I spent a little time in treasury and IT. Now as head of the IT department at American Pride Bank, I love what I do and I love where I do it. One of the things people have told me often is that I’m not your stereotypical IT person. I’m an outgoing person who is very customer service-oriented, whether I’m dealing with our internal customers (employees) or regular customers that our retail staff serve.
Q: What was the most useful piece of advice you received in the early/formative years of your career?
A: Even though I’m 18 years in, I still like to think I’m in the formative years of my career. I’ve worked with Security Bank, State Bank, Community and Southern Bank in Atlanta, Bank of Monticello and now I’m at American Pride Bank, so I’ve been fortunate to have been able to work with or for Georgia banking legends like Dan Speight, Joe Evans, Pat McGoldrick, Judy Johnson, Mike Fitzgerald, and more. I’ve been able to take the advice they’ve given me and apply it in my career and life, even if it’s just a nugget of wisdom that I store in my memory and come back to a couple of years later. Andy Flowers is one of the best people I have ever worked for. He’s our COO and that’s what I strive to reach one day, so learning what he does and how he does it has meant a lot to me.
During high school and college, I worked for my dad. He ran a successful automotive shop in town and is now retired. I picked up on the entrepreneurial spirit and hard work ethic he had. One important thing I learned from him is not to be closed minded. He taught me that if you want to learn something, find the people who do it better than you and learn how they do it, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
All of the great people I’ve been able to work with and work for have given me some great advice, work-related and not. To this day, I still open up and want to see how can I make myself better by surrounding myself with people that are smarter and more experienced than I am.
Q: What would someone be surprised to learn about you?
A: If I’m not at work, I enjoy being on my motorcycle. I own an Indian motorcycle, which is kind of like a Harley. Indian and Harley have been out since the early 1900’s (1901 vs. 1903 - technically the Indian brand is a little bit older). In 2010, Polaris bought Indian and has revamped and revitalized it, so now it’s probably Harley’s #1 competitor. I also enjoy being on my boat or tractor and getting away from technology. However, at home I’m 100% a technology nerd/geek with smart home technology - if it’s got Bluetooth, I’m probably going to buy it. Bluetooth makes everything better.
Q: What's your biggest pet peeve?
A: The proper use of too/to/two, they’re/their/there, your/you’re, doing a 180 vs. a 360, etc.
Q: Most used app?
A: Spotify. I’ve got to have music everywhere that I go. In high school, I was a parttime DJ. I can’t play an instrument but I have a love of music. I listened to over 33,050 minutes on the app last year.
Q: TV show or series you love?
A: Scrubs, How I Met Your Mother and Brooklyn 99