Tim Rausch
South State Bank, a regional bank with more than a dozen branches in the CSRA, focused on its internship experience with Hull College students attending its Business Connection virtual event in February.
Lisa Blatter, First Vice President and Director of Campus Recruiting & Career Development, oversees the internship programs at the company and described their summer program, which is full for the coming summer, but open for summer 2023.
Tyler Snively, Business Banking Relationship Manager, has day-to-day interaction with interns in his Tampa, FL, office to make sure they have beneficial tasks.
“My interns work with me as a commercial lender or with the other commercial lenders on the team, learning everything from how we’re structuring a loan to indexes that we’re basing interest rates,” he said. “They are learning the ins and outs of selling money. When you get down to it, that’s what I do for a job.”
Snively said it is a competitive industry and interns accompany the team to client lunches for real experiences.
Josh Leak, Commercial Banking Associate, who was a prior intern, said he remembered his experience as “live the life of a banker for the summer and get paid for it.” Not many students get this kind of internship and access to professionals, he added.
The culture of South State is what makes it special and different than other banks, explained former intern Victoria Gomez, now a Commercial Banking Associate. “I decided to stay and pursue this role with South State because of the opportunities. Even though this rotation is commercial banking, you’re exposed to several departments.”
South State Corporation is a financial services company headquartered in Winter Haven, FL. In 2017, South State completed its merger with Southeastern Banking Financial Corporation, the parent company of Georgia Bank & Trust. The bank provides consumer, commercial, mortgage, and wealth management solutions to more than one million customers throughout Florida, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia.
The Business Connection Series was born from innovation during the pandemic’s lockdown, when the college’s Business Showcase Series had to be presented virtually. When the Showcase series returned to in-person events, the College added virtual business interactions as the Connection Series, which has advantages such as inviting guests who do not have to commute to Augusta and not limiting the number of student attendees due to room capacity.
