Franklin named to bank board
Cross Keys Bank is pleased to announce that Rayville native and Richland Parish Chamber of Commerce Board Chairman, Scott Franklin has been elected to serve on the Cross Keys Bank Board of Directors.
With the bank’s recent decision to reinvest in Rayville with a new branch building, and Scott’s fervent enthusiasm for his community, the relationship will be fruitful for everyone involved.
Cross Keys Bank Chairman and CEO Michael Vizard stated, “We are thrilled to have Scott Franklin join our Board of Directors.” His sense of community and a proud heritage will add a youthful perspective and energetic enthusiasm that will be of tremendous value. President Shane Bridges and Richland Parish Market President Walter Hillman echoed this and added, “He is going to be an asset to all of us in guiding the bank with his knowledge in all areas of business, especially agriculture.”
Scott, a licensed attorney and realtor, was born and raised in Rayville where he graduated from Riverfield Academy before attending Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge where he earned a B.S. in Finance. He then went on to earn a law degree from Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson.
Scott practiced law for a few years with Hayes, Harkey, Smith and Cascio, LLP in Monroe before making the decision to return to his family’s business. He currently manages a commercial rice dryer and sales office for Holly Ridge Rice and Grain Terminal, and farms rice and soybeans with his father and uncles.
Courtney Franklin, Scott’s wife, is a practicing attorney who works for the State of Louisiana as an advocate for children in abusive and neglectful homes. He and his wife feel blessed to be the parents of their eight-month-old son, Fred, who Scott describes as his “entire world.”
Scott serves as the Vice-President of the Northeast Louisiana Rice Growers Association, 2nd Vice-President of the Louisiana Rice Council, and a member of the United States of America Rice Council, which acts as the steward of grower funded promotion dollars in Rice growing states. He is also a trustee for the Louisiana Agriculture Self-Insured Fund, which provides extremely important workers compensation insurance for Agri-business in North Louisiana at a very low cost to farmers and ag-industry related businesses.
Scott was on the founding board of the Richland Parish Chamber of Commerce, established in 2015. He was first elected Chairman of the Chamber in 2016 and still serves that role today. Scott and the rest of the Chamber Board are avid believers that with unflinching determination, they will “create a life for the future generations that was far better than anything in our past.”
His devotion to the Richland community stems from his family origins in Northeast Louisiana. His great-grandfather established deep roots in the community after working hard to provide a future for himself and his family. Scott said, “Everything I am, and everything I will become, I owe to the working people of Northeast Louisiana. My great- grandfather was an orphan who had to jump off of a train in Holly Ridge to find his place in the world. I am indebted for life to this community of wonderful people, who for generations have been our partners and customers.” Scott sees his great-grandfather’s struggles as a motivator for the work he does on a daily basis for the betterment of the community.
Scott pointed out that Cross Keys has an impeccable reputation and is recognized statewide in the banking industry. “Its leadership and employees are some of the finest people you can find,” he said. “The bank and I share the common belief that we will create growth in North Louisiana, but only with hard work and by working together.”
Founded in 1902, Cross Keys Bank is a community bank in North Louisiana and is a wholly owned subsidiary of BSJ Bancshares, Inc., a single bank holding company with its corporate headquarters in St. Joseph, LA. A bank with a long history of serving communities in North Louisiana, Cross Keys Bank has eight offices across the I-20 corridor from Shreveport to Tallulah. It offers financial products and services including eBanking, cash management services, mobile deposit, commercial lending, agribusiness lending, insurance, investments, as well as mortgage and consumer lending. To learn more, visit www.crosskeys.bank or connect on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.