March 4, 2022 • 39 mins
CEO of First Horizon, Bryan Jordan bank explains to John Hope Bryant how being normal is more than enough to make a difference.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Building the Good Life with John Hope Bryant is brought
to you by Potential Financial. My vision is is that
we continue to build that that close connection with our customers,
would build that close connection with our communities in such
a way that we're integral to the economic fabric or
where we live, where we work, and where we play.
(00:20):
Hey man, I love that. Hey. Hey, this is John
Hope Bryant, entrepreneur, founder of Operation Hope, and I'm here
with my friend Brian Jordan's president and chief executive officer
of First Horizon Bank, one of the top five bank
institutions in the entire American South, the biggest institution f
D I C insured in Tennessee. You understand why that's
(00:41):
so powerful and important. A minute, This is John O'Brien
and I'm building the Good Life today with my friend
Brian Jordan. Brian Jordan, welcome, Thanks John. It's great to
be with you. As always, So we don't have enough time,
space or radio ways for the power of this conversation.
This thing is gonna go real quick. Take notes, put
(01:01):
off side of the the roads. You don't drive off the
side of the road. This is gonna be And you say, well,
how can a park conversation with a bank CEO be
interesting because you've never met Brian Jordan's. Brian Jordan's is
the is the I don't know the Matt Damon of
banking in the South. He's handsome. You can't see on radio,
(01:23):
but google searcher's name. He's charismatic, he's cool. I mean,
I think he's got a little black indom Actually he's
sitting there right now. He just unbothered, like nothing ever
bothers him. I call him with all kind of crazy stuff.
Nothing nothing bothers him. He raises his voice. By the way,
when you've got the power, you don't need to use it.
He never raised his voice. He never you know, shouts
(01:44):
and screams, at least not to me. Um. You know,
he's genuinely decent human being. Now you might say, what's
so special about that? You're talking about a traditional suthing. Um.
And he and I are dear friends. I mean, he's
I'm not gonna talk about his politics, but let's just
(02:05):
say he is in mind. Are probably different, Um, but
we but we disagree without being disagreeable. Uh. We both
have a philosophy of leading each other with their dignity
no matter what the conversation is. Um, we've we we
When I go to Memphis, I stay at his house.
Unfortunately for him, his dog likes me more than it
(02:26):
likes him. Uh. But on the business side, he's built
up almost a hundred billion dollar institution. It's eighty nine billion,
I think it is now that it's a hundred and
fifty plus years old, hundred and fifty eight to be exact.
So he was born the civil in the Civil War era.
This is gonna be such a fascinating conversation. First question, Brian,
(02:47):
because we're gonna go We're gonna talk about the bank
and talk about your merger recently. I think it was
Iberia if I got that right, um, And that this
is the most recent merger you had mergers before that,
and how you're growing a culture, and how you're growing
an institution and integrating all these uh different view points
and perspectives in the in the middle of I think
(03:09):
a historic period we're living right now where nothing is
the way it used to be and you have some
tensions that that remind us all. Oh, the last time
America had a reconstruction period, which was a civil rights
move and you're navigating all that just beautifully in my opinion,
(03:30):
But how did you get so nice? Look what you're
like normal, which is sort of abnormal. What what amongst
leaders these days? How did you become decent? Is that apparentingly?
Where'd that come from? Yeah, So before I get into
that with you, John, I gotta take exception. I was
hoping we would have to disagree. And this My dog
(03:50):
likes me a lot better than he likes you. Like.
I think we're all of a reflection of our bringing
and some sense. And you know, all the things that
my mom and dad used to say that I said
I would never do and say I find myself doing
and saying a lot of those. And and I was
(04:10):
raised in North Carolina. My dad, who's still live, turns
eighty five the end of this week, was a banker,
and I saw the role he played in community development
and being involved in the community in a small town
in North Carolina. And I don't know that I'd characterized
myself as as decent or anything like that, but I
(04:33):
do think that that all of us in and incorporate life,
and in life more broadly, as individuals, we have a
role to play and making the world we live in better,
and and if you're the CEO of billion dollar banking organization,
it gives you a little bit more platform. I supposed
(04:55):
to do that, but at all fundamental in my behavior
around these things, I'll fundamentally go back to if, if,
if there's things that I can do to make the
communities that we live in, that we operate in, that
we work in better, and I can play a role
actively there, I intend to do it. And uh, I
(05:17):
mean we'll get into the why about that, but the
what of that is courageous because bankers typically want to
be first and second place. Banking is not typically a
pioneering business. Um. And so to step out like you
did on to be blunt social justice issues. Now, clearly
(05:39):
it's social justice doing economic lends, would you you understand? Well,
but it's still social justice. One could find I mean,
won't find that a little odd for you to be
so interested. You've had Ambassador Andrew Young come and speak, Uh,
both of them. I think this are easy to say,
both of our heroes come and speak before your entire team.
(06:01):
You've had Reverend CT Vivian uh In, other civil rights
leaders coming and give share of voice. You had me
come uh and have very interesting and deep conversation when
he was unscripted. You let me just all of us
just say what was on our minds um you have
uh this full disclosure he took me us. I was
I'm gonna call it skeet shooting. It's probably was, but
(06:24):
deeper than that. It was in the Deep South, and
I'm like, look, they could they could leave me here
and confuse me with a with a you know, one
of these skeets and I'd be you know, where's John
who knows out safely? And we were driving. I don't
know if you remember this conversation, Brian, and I'm gonna
have to clean it up a little bit. We we
(06:45):
talked very bluntly with each other out of love, and
I said, you know, Brian, I was feeling very idealist
at this moment. We're doing these hoop inside locations and
some of these towns, and I know they might not
have a lot of exposure to people like me, and
maybe he might have a different view, a different word
they might use in describe people like me. I don't
to graize their credit school, and I want to reduce
their debt. I want to give them savings options to
(07:06):
give them earning them tax credit and give them financial optionality.
Maybe then they will, you know, call me by my
first and last aim, and you know, honor me and
my ancestors meet Bryance as well. Maybe but probably not
some of them, but they will respect you made their
life better. Now, that's just a real conversation. I mean,
he wasn't sugarcoating. You can't You can't change people overnight,
(07:29):
but you can't help the change the situation. And hope
that that changes people over a lifetime or it maybe
it affects their children. So Brian, help get me inside
of your head and is a gateway to your heart.
You're running this institution. You've brought us into ten percent
operational is now has hope inside locations where ten percent
(07:50):
of all of the first Horizon Bank locations. That's more
than charity. Now, that's real money. That's a real investment
and it has to have real results. What is it
that you're trying to achieve and how does that intersect,
if at all, have about trying to heal the breaches
in this country and make this country better. Yeah, I
(08:14):
remember the conversation you're referring to in fact it occurred
after we drove by a Confederate flag hanging out in
the in the country backside. It actually was the the
weekend before with a dedicated the memorial or plaque out
at the airport for Dr King's last flight in the month. Uh.
(08:35):
But you also helped helped to make happen, by the way,
I should add I didn't take any credits for whatever,
but he helped him to make it happen. You go
do Memphis Airport. Now you see a marker. I had
forgot about that, a marker, uh for Dr King's last flight.
That's again part of Brian Jordan's unarticulated legacy get credits
for he actually helped me do it. So you know
(08:56):
to your to your question, John, the the community ties
that that we operate in cover twelves or across twelve states,
not cover, but across twelve states today and and you
can look at any community in the United States, you
can look at any community in the South, you can
look at any community in Tennessee. And we have unique
(09:18):
challenges and opportunities, but there is a common thread and
and a lot of that tends to be in my view,
common threads around opportunity and social justice and economics and
as you said, sort of an economic thread as as
a banking organization that is part of the circulatory system
(09:42):
of of our society and economy, taking money from depositors
and landing at the borrowers who want to buy a house,
or start a business, or buy a boat, or whatever
their dream happens to be. We're uniquely positioned and and
I I firmly believe that at at the end of
the day that if if our business is gonna be good,
(10:06):
the economic fabric in the communities that we that we
work in, that we do business in and ultimately we
all live into that, we we have to play a
role in strengthening that. And and this notion of creating opportunity,
whether it be through the d and I work that
we do internally with respect doesn't break that out. What
(10:32):
does that mean? The diversity, equity and inclusion And and
we we have put a tremendous amount of effort into that,
and we focus on it internally and externally in terms
of our people. We we think about how do we
create opportunity for our employee base to grow into into
(10:55):
function and developing in the organization and may sure we
have equal opportunity and that we create a reflection of
the communities we serve. But in banking we have to
create diversity, equity and inclusion as it comes to facing customers,
creating broad opportunity for people. And and one of the
(11:15):
things that we know after the really the last fifteen
to twenty five years, is we have gotten progressively more
and more people who are unbanked. They're out of the
core banking system, and and they use alternative channels. They
don't use credit cards, debit cards, they don't use banking
(11:39):
system or checking accounts, uh, they use alternative lenders, whether
that be paid a lenders or check cashers. And that
that's not a criticism of any of those channels. It
is though, how do we create a more inclusive system
that allows our communities. Whether you're a young man with
(12:00):
an idea to start a business and you don't have
the resources a friend and family money, or you don't
have a home equity line to draw along, how do
you get the resources to start a business. Or if
you're a young woman and you want to start a
catering business, how do you get the resources in the training?
How do you get the UH, this is how I
(12:21):
build a business plan, so on and so forth, and
and you know what what really is important to me
is is that we do that in in a partnership
with with the community so that we create sustainability. It's
not just getting started, it is how do my bankable
business down the road? Meaning do I pay my taxes?
(12:44):
Do I have financial statements? Do I have the tools
that I need to be a growing in bankable asset
um So that that's a long way of saying that
that when what we think about, when I think about,
you know, the role that we can play. We're in
a unique spot. We're clearly blessed in that we have
(13:07):
the ability to try to influence outcomes. We target trying
to create a more inclusive and equitable and diverse organization
and economic system where we can influence it. And John,
as you know, and as you highlighted in our conversation
thus far, you know, we built partnerships with the organizations
(13:30):
like Operation Hope and put thirty Hope inside UH in
our branches or banking centers over the last eight seven
eight years and really start to impact outcomes well. And
and by the way you putting us in your locations
has helped inspire other finish institutions to put us in
(13:52):
their locations. And when I came to Memphis to do this,
Brian actually encouraged me to go talk to his so
called competitors to get me in their locations too. He
didn't see it as a zero subgame or that first horizon,
the first Tennessee had to succeed and others had to lose.
He thought that in Memphis one, that we're talking about
Memphis in this one example, that the city that Dr
(14:13):
King was assassinated, and by the way, for four eight,
that the whole city would win. Let me back up
and say, I'm gonna challenge something you said, Brian's I
think you're being overly gracious. You said that you're not
criticizing many of these channels. I am, um, look in
these five in the credit scoret neighborhoods, what you see
and half of Black America, just to be very personal,
(14:34):
in my own group, now have a Black America as
a credit score below six twenty. We're not dumb, and
we don't student is what we don't know that we
don't know this killing it, but we think we know
because the Freedman's Bank of a g C five after
the Civil War, around the time the bank was created,
your bank was created. Making created a bank called the
Free Bank to teach free slaves about money. Unfortunately he
was killed the next month. The same month is is
(14:56):
dr king by the way April and the bank fail
at just repair was manipulated, so we never got to them.
Are on month, folks, listen to this. We're are black
folks killing professional sports. The arts are two examples, but
we're not killing it generally speaking. Succeeding in capitalism writ
large because we never got that memo. We confuse making
(15:18):
money with building wealth. So I actually do think, Yeah,
there's nothing wrong the check cash. It was created by
grocery stores writing signing convenience checks. There's nothing wrong in
theory of the payday loanment. But when you take a
payday long lender, which is giving you basically advanced when
your pay check. But when you take these these these players,
you put them in an underserved neighborhood of five of
(15:38):
the credit score, with lack financial literacy and lack of hope.
Now you got a check cash next to a payday
long lender, next or rent to own store next, or
title lener next for bigger store next, will paun shot
without banking, charging very expensive fees the people who can't
afford it. And I just think that that's wrong, and
I think that you cannot have growth in America, and
(15:58):
I would argue around the world without a functioning banking system.
You need a banking system, and you need a banker
who wants to say yes to you irrespective of your race.
And what Brian has proved to me, is it whether
you're white, black, red, brown, and yellow. He wants to
give you some green if you can prove that you
can sustain that he mentioned in his comments, We want
(16:22):
this is to be sustainable business. Translation, he's not giving
you charity here, like he's got shareholders. You gotta repay
your loan, but if you get your credit score up,
the bank's trying to get into the Yes business, Yes
to home ownership, the average homeownership rate for black folks,
white folks, se plus, Yes the small business ownership. Yes
(16:44):
to entrepreneurship, but you gotta get your credit score up
so he can say yes. But no one tells anybody
these rules. So he's allowing us to operating the branches
so that we can talk to you in ways that
banks can't, and we can coach you up so the
bank can say yes. And this becomes an immer market,
a new a new marketplace for him in the bank.
So he's really doing some truly pioneering, extraordinary work. And
(17:07):
this d and I think he mentioned I made him
unpack it. It sounds like a speech, didn't it. No, no, no,
It's like it's reading a note that this lady named
Monica Jones who works the bank. Is she an E V. P. Right, Yes,
she is black woman. Last time I checked the charge
of commercial credit. I mean she makes lending decisions for
(17:32):
a full range of businesses that are ninety billion dollar bank.
And he's continued to promote her. Now, Bryan, did you
promote shoot because she was black and because she was good,
because she was good, because she's actually great? That's it.
That's what you want. Isn't that what we all want?
A society that works based on your merit, that you're married,
(17:55):
and the fact that Brian Jordan is operationalizing so she
justice through an economic lens at all levels. Quietly, I'm
telling some of the stories here, but every week, you know,
every other week, for sure, we have some conversation that matters.
Remember you called me Brian. I can't tell because we're
still in the middle of all that. You call me
about a guy who came to me with a vision
(18:17):
for a financial institution, and you wanted me to talk
to him that, you know, to try to work it
out for he had all the twols to be successful
like that. That had nothing theoretically to do with you
other than you were writing a check anyway to help
him moving along the road. But you keep extending yourself
beyond where you have to where I come from. That's
(18:38):
called love night. You're not living not exactly a you know,
a liberal, you know, bleeding heart. Um, what's driving your
love for a guy like me? Well, and you're you're
you're unique in your case is just charisma. Um, I'm
a I'm a big lever in in people, and I'm
(19:02):
a big believer in opportunity. And and I know I
can actually say this because because you can't see it,
but John's wearing a T shirt that says self made
something right now and yeah, self predit entrepreneur. And and
you know, while while all generalizations are wrong in some way,
(19:23):
shape or form. You know, we we have all gotten
the benefit of advice or counsel or mentorship or a
helping hand somewhere along the way. And in my case,
it's what can I do to to help? What can
I do to be of assistant? Um, you know, In
in your case, John, you know, you'll you'll remember we
(19:48):
have a mutual friend out of Dallas who who suggested
I sit down and and have breakfast with you. And
uh and and you know John, for those of you
that know John, well, you know he didn't have breakfast
till about eleven in the morning. And uh and and
we got together for breakfast. Yeah, we got together for breakfast.
(20:12):
And and I knew just a little bit of what
background research I was able to do on Operation Hope.
But you'll you'll remember the conversation was was a rather
straightforward conversation. There was already an Operation Hope location here.
It was in Memphis. It was in a truest banking center.
(20:33):
It was sun Trust at the time. And and you
and I talked for about forty five minutes, and he said,
you'll me to give you the best reason you need
to do this. And I said, give me the best reason.
And you said to me something like the the issues
(20:53):
around financial literacy and credit score and and these these
issues around um banking issues are very broad based, and
that we are working with people who work in your
bank to help them through these challenges. And and when
(21:17):
when we went, when you put it in those kinds
of terms, it was real clear to me that that
this is a huge and a broad based need. And
and uh, I found in in you somebody who, as
you said, we don't agree on everything, and and we
(21:39):
but we have constructive debate, but we do share a
passion for making a difference and putting people in a
position where they can do more, do better, meet their dreams,
meet meet the needs of their family with stability, and
(21:59):
create more homeownership, create more small businesses, create greater sustainability.
But it's all about giving back. Building the good life
is brought to you by Prudential Financial. For over forty
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help solve for life's most important financial needs. Because at
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(22:22):
solving for the financial challenges of our changing world. Prudentials
Who's Your Rock campaign is also about helping people reach
new heights and providing a platform for people to reach
their financial goals. I do remember calling you one day
and saying that we'd opened up this this hope inside
UH location. UM and UM with his blessing. Brian with
(22:44):
another stitution and set over his employees that come over
financial coaching at the other institution because they were ashamed
to admit that they were a banker and they had
some financial challenges. They didn't want to go to the
HR department for fear of getting fired. I get it
by the way we opened up it first horizon, and
then we had twenty of the other institutions employees come
(23:08):
over the first horizon because they had the same issue.
They didn't want to go to their HR department. And
we found that this issue affects everybody. Doesn't matter what
race doesn't matter, what color doesn't matter, what income level.
People with a hundred thousand dollar incomes have too much
month at they end of their money, it over spent.
It confused making money with building wealth. And and so Brian,
(23:28):
I found a commonality there and something we could do together.
And and I and I love what the way he
out basically because I believe in the James Round version
of affermative action. Open the door, I'll get it myself.
And I didn't want to hand out from from Brian
Jordan's I wanted to hand up, and everybody in my
community wanted to hand up. And Brian also suggested that
(23:51):
we open a hope inside it Mason Temple, Church of
God in Christ And I said, you, as said, you
must be in your mind. What what did you say
opened up at a church? Yes, I did, he said,
I think the community needs it. That area is underserved
by the way. It happened to be the church that
Dr King gave his last speech before he was assassinated.
(24:13):
I think it was that I have I think he said.
I think it was a version of the I Have
a dream of speech, as I recall I've been. It
was a mountaintop speech. I'm sorry now he collapsed, and
I remember Dr King collapsed. He never collapsed before, collapsed
in the arms of Andrew Young, my mentor, Reverend Jesse
Jackson and others. And and the next day he was
assassinated in Memphis and dot and Brian Jordan called me again,
(24:35):
then when you talk to the mayor, mayor, when you
come and speak at theft anniversary. Remember this anniversary of
that of the sanitation workers. Well, the sanitation workers is
the reason Darter King was there, and those problems proliferated
for another few decades and he but it's like the
works unfinished. These are things that people doing behind closed
during when nobody's watching, called leadership. And last thing I'll say,
(25:00):
and I want I want us to. I want to end, Brian,
with you talking about, in whatever way you want to,
some of the things you're proud of that the bank's
doing now that you've merged, and what the future looks
like and what people can expect from your growing enterprise.
Um and to see this come from any bank institution
is a hundred fifty years old, had a interesting background
(25:21):
in the eighteen hundreds, all of them, all of them,
and to see them come from that to what he's
doing now makes me so um so proud just to
be to be blunt about it. So let's see what
politics were a second. And we're not gonna get into
details here, but I just want you to understand how
authink this friendship is. Brian, I have different politics generally speaking,
(25:43):
we also have a bum factor. And I didn't tell
Brian this. I'm just I'm gonna say it. I think
we both agree. Republicans and bumps, when present Democrats abumps.
When he presented black folks abumps, when you presenter white
folks bum so called leaders of bums, they say it,
(26:03):
but they don't mean it. They're manipulating their playing games,
and when we see it, we call it for what
it is. But any percent of people are good people,
and we shouldn't generalize, and we should try to find
solutions where we can find them. But we need to
call out bums when we see it. And we're not
getting a name calling whatever. But Brian and I we
we've we've had this conversation and we meet him and
his wife Kim. We've had a conversation and we've disagreed
(26:24):
on a range of things. We always agreed on doing
the right thing, and as soon as we figured out
what was the right thing, we're on all over that
like a cheap suit. Brian, this concept of talk about
being offensive, listen without being defensive, and always leaving even
our adversary with our dignity. I would say if we
(26:47):
could do that in Memphis, Tennessee, with folks who grew
up radically different background, where we stay in each other's homes,
eat the same food, hug the same, love, the same, laugh,
the same, cry, the same. We could probably do that
across this country as a business plan. What do you think? Yeah,
(27:08):
I think we've got to do that. John h. You
know you you often restite the statistic that you know
your DNA and my DNA white man and a black man,
are you know, ninety nine point six percent the same?
And what differences we have are extraordinarily small? And why
is it that we spend more time on our differences
(27:31):
as a society. And and I don't understand that I
read just about every day. I usually start my day
with it, and then I check the afternoon edition the
website Real Real Clear Politics dot com. I think it
does a great job of even when you get a
strident position on one side, you get a strident position
(27:51):
on the other side, but it gives you sort of
a chance to hear both sides of it. And and
I'm for particularly frustrated in in our politics and that
I think we've stopped listening to one another. Most most
people don't talk just to be provocative. Some some folks do,
(28:12):
of course, but most folks don't talk to be provocative.
And if you have a belief about something, it's my
job to figure out why you believe what you believe,
and and then I have better understanding and hopefully you're
doing the same. And I think in our relationship we
we have done that. And you know, I wish through
(28:35):
through the grace of God and John Bryant, I've gotten
to know a bastor Andrew Young over the last I
don't know ten years, fifteen years pretty well. And you know,
if you look at his political career, if we had
more people in leadership positions like ambassadoryom who we're always
thinking about how we move everybody forward, not my side,
(28:58):
not your side, everybody, for we would we would be
a much much better off society. And I went into
this pandemic with a what I would describe self describe
as a very naive view of things, and that we
were all gonna deal with a pandemic that was um
(29:22):
a shared experience. It was gonna be bad for everybody.
We're gonna have lockdowns, the economic cost was gonna be high.
And and I look at where we are today and
and it's divided us as as opposed to pulling us together.
And it makes me wonder, you know, how do we
get leadership at the highest levels? And I'm not sure
(29:45):
it has to be our political leaders, but it can
be church faith, it can be civic leaders, it can
be anything. How do we start bringing ourselves back together
and focus on that that I'll use the DNA analogy
that not even and point six pc of shared experience,
that says we all to all be pulling in the
(30:05):
same direction. It's okay to disagree, but let's figure out
how we pull in the same direction and get out
of this zero sum game that we've ended up in
where for John to win, I have to lose and
for me to win, John has to lose. That makes
no sense to me at all. Right, right, yeah, you
can take no pleasure in the fact there's a hole
(30:26):
in my end of our boat. If the boat thinks
we're all done right and what what? And you know,
I think this is my sort of some recomment on
why I love my conversation with Brian Jordan. It's remarkably
I mean, it's it's simple, it's common sense. But common
sense is not so common it's decent. Decency is not
(30:48):
so common is authentic. Authenticity is not so common. We
love math because it doesn't have an opinion. Uh. And
and we believe that if we we that if we
work together as partners and brothers and friends, the too
plus two just might equal sixth eight or ten. Um.
This just might be the third reconstruction we're experiencing right now.
The first reconstruction was after the Civil War. It was
(31:09):
about basic basic freedom and basic democracy and basic access.
So I think that we're experiencing what I call a
third reconstruction, Brian. The first reconstruction came after the Civil War,
and that was about basic access, basic freedom, real reinformation
of our democracy. We're better together. The second reconstruction was
(31:31):
a civil rights movement. Um. We talked a little bit
about that now was about jobs getting from the fields
to the factories, voting rights, reformation of voting rights and
uh and political freedom. And this third reconstruction, I believe
is social justice to an economic lens. I think it's economics.
I think it's ownership. I think it's wealth and income.
(31:52):
In to quality, I think it's diversity and inclusion. Um.
And we're I mean, I think your model in my model,
and there is are proving that a diverse and inclusive
organization is a more prosperous organization. It's not only decent,
it's not only the right thing to do, it's also
quite profitable. Did I write about that, Brian? Yeah, yeah,
(32:13):
it is, it is, it's you know, if it if
it's it's it's back to so much of life. If
we create win win situations, if we can create good
situations for our customers, for our communities, it's gonna be
good for our company and our shareholders, and vice versa.
If it's good for our shareholders, it's likely to be
good for our community, because it's not sustainable. If you
(32:36):
let it get out of balance for long, it just
doesn't work. Yes, what I knew was that this conversation
with risk going over and I don't want to do that.
I want to abuse Brian's time. He's gotta bank to
run um, And I don't want to bore you the
thirte commandment that shouting I bore people. I just love
talking to this dude, And every time I leave a conversation,
(32:56):
I leave better. If you love Operation Hope, you gotta
love Brian Joe Um. I can't get into the details
of it with on time. But he really helped to
turn the organization around about five years ago and stabilized
stabilize us financially, donated time through heat so the company
called Accenture Ahead consulting time that they owed him a
few hundred thousand dollars. He donated that to us. We
(33:19):
didn't have to pay the consulting firm to help us
restructure Operation Hope. And that's led to a point now
our Operation Hope itself is self sustainable. We had a mission,
but we didn't have a business plan. And what he's
trying to do through the bank is to give every
family a business plan, to give every entrepreneur and small
business owner a shot a successive failure on your own merit.
(33:43):
Isn't that what we all want? A shot a successive
failure on our own merit? Brian Jordan want me as
we wrapped, but won't you tell us what your vision
is for the bank, what you're doing now, what your
plan on doing, and what we can expect from you
and how people find you if they want to work
for you, invest in you, our partnered with you. Yeah. Absolutely,
(34:04):
As as you said in the very beginning, we were
founded in eighteen sixty four, Abraham Lincoln was president about
three blocks from where I'm sitting right now. Today, we're
across twelve states, mostly southern states, Texas to Virginia, Arkansas
to Florida. If you think about the southern part of
the United States, you can reach us on First Horizon
(34:26):
dot Com. We're we're looking to grow across all those
markets are Our view is a very simple, when I
said it, a couple of different ways in this we
we want to be not only a part of the
economic fabric in the communities we serve, but we want
to play a role in strengthening that economic fabric, linking
capital and council with with the two to improve the
(34:51):
lives of our customers and communities. We are uh in essence,
trying to provide a very local experience. We have local
leadership in our markets that care about their markets, They
know their markets, they serve on the city council or
the Chamber of Commerce or whatever happens to be, and
(35:12):
and we bring the big bank resources that allow us
to use our balance sheet to really help customers achieve
very meaningful things in their lives. So my vision is
is that we continue to build that that close connection
with our customers. We build that close connection with our
(35:32):
communities in such a way that we're integral to the
economic fabric or where we live, where we work, and
where we play. A man, I love that as a
church and was happening? Now? What have you done for
me lately? Uh, ladies and gentlemen. This is Brian Jordan,
the president and chief executive officer of one of the
fifth uh five top banks in the entire South, the
(35:56):
largest bank in Tennessee. Just merge, just quite another Jusian Iberia,
I believe, which is out of New Orleans. If I
recall it's called First Horizon Bank, that's his bank. I
want you to think about it. Look look forward, check
him out. He's a cool dude. He's not perfect, but
he's perfect in this imperfection because he's authentic. And as
I close, I'm gonna say this, Ryan Joy trying to
(36:18):
kill me twice shooting. Its snowmobiling, and uh, I've got
I've not got a gun. I'm practicing skee shooting, So
I'm gonna I'm gonna make sure I'm not embarrassed. The
next time. You didn't, you didn't, you didn't succeed in
discouraging me there and and uh, you know, everybody know
black folks don't like cold weather. Brian Jordan, you you
know we from Africa. Man, you got me in the
(36:41):
zero talking about are you having fun? I had like
five levels of heaters in my in my midst but
I had a ball because I was on something with
a motor underneath me. And I'm coming back for more.
So I'm coming back for some more snowball. So you
gotta tell the truth about the skate shoot and you
walk out your back door and shoot him. Now that's true.
(37:02):
I got, I got. I Hope you've enjoyed this as
much as I have enjoyed doing it. You've met not
just a progressive CEO for the future. You met a
decent in being for right now, somebody that we can
all emulate, Ladies and gentlemen. This has been building the
good life with John Hope, Bryant and Brian Jordan. This
(37:23):
is the master class for my interview with Brian Georgian,
President in chief executive officer of First Horizon Bank, one
of the top five banks in the South ninety billion
dollars in assets, just below that built it over a
hundred and fifty plus years, and now he's running it
with a new philosophy, doing well and doing good too.
Brian is the epitome I think of just decency. It's
(37:46):
a radical movement like Operation Hope of Common Sense. Here
you have a Southerner and white and conservative who's found
a way to bomb with a Northern who's black and
I believe progressive in my view. Um, and we've found
a way to disagree sometimes without being disagreeable. We found
(38:07):
the way to both be nosy. How do you get
so smart? Quincy Jones, I'm just nosy as hell, he
told both Brian Jordan and I are nosy. I want
to know what he knows. He wants to know what
I know. We both lived by the ethos talk without
being offensive, listening without being defensive, and always leave even
your adversary with their dignity because if you don't, that
spend the rest of their life trying to make you miserable.
(38:29):
We both agree that people in his party and his
community aren't perfect. People in my party, whatever that might
be in my community, aren't perfect. There are bums everywhere,
just like there's brilliance everywhere, and we should we should
site the bums and highlight the brilliance wherever we find them.
Brian Jordan's It's just normal. We need more normal in
(38:52):
the world, and we have normal. With decency and authenticity,
power and access to credit and capital either CEO of bank,
you can actually change communities and transform all. This has
been the masterclass John Hope brought it. Building the Good
Life with John Hope Bryant is brought to you by
Credentials Financial h
Building the Good Life with John Hope Bryant is brought
to you by Potential Financial. My vision is is that
we continue to build that that close connection with our customers,
would build that close connection with our communities in such
a way that we're integral to the economic fabric or
where we live, where we work, and where we play.
(00:20):
Hey man, I love that. Hey. Hey, this is John
Hope Bryant, entrepreneur, founder of Operation Hope, and I'm here
with my friend Brian Jordan's president and chief executive officer
of First Horizon Bank, one of the top five bank
institutions in the entire American South, the biggest institution f
D I C insured in Tennessee. You understand why that's
(00:41):
so powerful and important. A minute, This is John O'Brien
and I'm building the Good Life today with my friend
Brian Jordan. Brian Jordan, welcome, Thanks John. It's great to
be with you. As always, So we don't have enough time,
space or radio ways for the power of this conversation.
This thing is gonna go real quick. Take notes, put
(01:01):
off side of the the roads. You don't drive off the
side of the road. This is gonna be And you say, well,
how can a park conversation with a bank CEO be
interesting because you've never met Brian Jordan's. Brian Jordan's is
the is the I don't know the Matt Damon of
banking in the South. He's handsome. You can't see on radio,
(01:23):
but google searcher's name. He's charismatic, he's cool. I mean,
I think he's got a little black indom Actually he's
sitting there right now. He just unbothered, like nothing ever
bothers him. I call him with all kind of crazy stuff.
Nothing nothing bothers him. He raises his voice. By the way,
when you've got the power, you don't need to use it.
He never raised his voice. He never you know, shouts
(01:44):
and screams, at least not to me. Um. You know,
he's genuinely decent human being. Now you might say, what's
so special about that? You're talking about a traditional suthing. Um.
And he and I are dear friends. I mean, he's
I'm not gonna talk about his politics, but let's just
(02:05):
say he is in mind. Are probably different, Um, but
we but we disagree without being disagreeable. Uh. We both
have a philosophy of leading each other with their dignity
no matter what the conversation is. Um, we've we we
When I go to Memphis, I stay at his house.
Unfortunately for him, his dog likes me more than it
(02:26):
likes him. Uh. But on the business side, he's built
up almost a hundred billion dollar institution. It's eighty nine billion,
I think it is now that it's a hundred and
fifty plus years old, hundred and fifty eight to be exact.
So he was born the civil in the Civil War era.
This is gonna be such a fascinating conversation. First question, Brian,
(02:47):
because we're gonna go We're gonna talk about the bank
and talk about your merger recently. I think it was
Iberia if I got that right, um, And that this
is the most recent merger you had mergers before that,
and how you're growing a culture, and how you're growing
an institution and integrating all these uh different view points
and perspectives in the in the middle of I think
(03:09):
a historic period we're living right now where nothing is
the way it used to be and you have some
tensions that that remind us all. Oh, the last time
America had a reconstruction period, which was a civil rights
move and you're navigating all that just beautifully in my opinion,
(03:30):
But how did you get so nice? Look what you're
like normal, which is sort of abnormal. What what amongst
leaders these days? How did you become decent? Is that apparentingly?
Where'd that come from? Yeah, So before I get into
that with you, John, I gotta take exception. I was
hoping we would have to disagree. And this My dog
(03:50):
likes me a lot better than he likes you. Like.
I think we're all of a reflection of our bringing
and some sense. And you know, all the things that
my mom and dad used to say that I said
I would never do and say I find myself doing
and saying a lot of those. And and I was
(04:10):
raised in North Carolina. My dad, who's still live, turns
eighty five the end of this week, was a banker,
and I saw the role he played in community development
and being involved in the community in a small town
in North Carolina. And I don't know that I'd characterized
myself as as decent or anything like that, but I
(04:33):
do think that that all of us in and incorporate life,
and in life more broadly, as individuals, we have a
role to play and making the world we live in better,
and and if you're the CEO of billion dollar banking organization,
it gives you a little bit more platform. I supposed
(04:55):
to do that, but at all fundamental in my behavior
around these things, I'll fundamentally go back to if, if,
if there's things that I can do to make the
communities that we live in, that we operate in, that
we work in better, and I can play a role
actively there, I intend to do it. And uh, I
(05:17):
mean we'll get into the why about that, but the
what of that is courageous because bankers typically want to
be first and second place. Banking is not typically a
pioneering business. Um. And so to step out like you
did on to be blunt social justice issues. Now, clearly
(05:39):
it's social justice doing economic lends, would you you understand? Well,
but it's still social justice. One could find I mean,
won't find that a little odd for you to be
so interested. You've had Ambassador Andrew Young come and speak, Uh,
both of them. I think this are easy to say,
both of our heroes come and speak before your entire team.
(06:01):
You've had Reverend CT Vivian uh In, other civil rights
leaders coming and give share of voice. You had me
come uh and have very interesting and deep conversation when
he was unscripted. You let me just all of us
just say what was on our minds um you have
uh this full disclosure he took me us. I was
I'm gonna call it skeet shooting. It's probably was, but
(06:24):
deeper than that. It was in the Deep South, and
I'm like, look, they could they could leave me here
and confuse me with a with a you know, one
of these skeets and I'd be you know, where's John
who knows out safely? And we were driving. I don't
know if you remember this conversation, Brian, and I'm gonna
have to clean it up a little bit. We we
(06:45):
talked very bluntly with each other out of love, and
I said, you know, Brian, I was feeling very idealist
at this moment. We're doing these hoop inside locations and
some of these towns, and I know they might not
have a lot of exposure to people like me, and
maybe he might have a different view, a different word
they might use in describe people like me. I don't
to graize their credit school, and I want to reduce
their debt. I want to give them savings options to
(07:06):
give them earning them tax credit and give them financial optionality.
Maybe then they will, you know, call me by my
first and last aim, and you know, honor me and
my ancestors meet Bryance as well. Maybe but probably not
some of them, but they will respect you made their
life better. Now, that's just a real conversation. I mean,
he wasn't sugarcoating. You can't You can't change people overnight,
(07:29):
but you can't help the change the situation. And hope
that that changes people over a lifetime or it maybe
it affects their children. So Brian, help get me inside
of your head and is a gateway to your heart.
You're running this institution. You've brought us into ten percent
operational is now has hope inside locations where ten percent
(07:50):
of all of the first Horizon Bank locations. That's more
than charity. Now, that's real money. That's a real investment
and it has to have real results. What is it
that you're trying to achieve and how does that intersect,
if at all, have about trying to heal the breaches
in this country and make this country better. Yeah, I
(08:14):
remember the conversation you're referring to in fact it occurred
after we drove by a Confederate flag hanging out in
the in the country backside. It actually was the the
weekend before with a dedicated the memorial or plaque out
at the airport for Dr King's last flight in the month. Uh.
(08:35):
But you also helped helped to make happen, by the way,
I should add I didn't take any credits for whatever,
but he helped him to make it happen. You go
do Memphis Airport. Now you see a marker. I had
forgot about that, a marker, uh for Dr King's last flight.
That's again part of Brian Jordan's unarticulated legacy get credits
for he actually helped me do it. So you know
(08:56):
to your to your question, John, the the community ties
that that we operate in cover twelves or across twelve states,
not cover, but across twelve states today and and you
can look at any community in the United States, you
can look at any community in the South, you can
look at any community in Tennessee. And we have unique
(09:18):
challenges and opportunities, but there is a common thread and
and a lot of that tends to be in my view,
common threads around opportunity and social justice and economics and
as you said, sort of an economic thread as as
a banking organization that is part of the circulatory system
(09:42):
of of our society and economy, taking money from depositors
and landing at the borrowers who want to buy a house,
or start a business, or buy a boat, or whatever
their dream happens to be. We're uniquely positioned and and
I I firmly believe that at at the end of
the day that if if our business is gonna be good,
(10:06):
the economic fabric in the communities that we that we
work in, that we do business in and ultimately we
all live into that, we we have to play a
role in strengthening that. And and this notion of creating opportunity,
whether it be through the d and I work that
we do internally with respect doesn't break that out. What
(10:32):
does that mean? The diversity, equity and inclusion And and
we we have put a tremendous amount of effort into that,
and we focus on it internally and externally in terms
of our people. We we think about how do we
create opportunity for our employee base to grow into into
(10:55):
function and developing in the organization and may sure we
have equal opportunity and that we create a reflection of
the communities we serve. But in banking we have to
create diversity, equity and inclusion as it comes to facing customers,
creating broad opportunity for people. And and one of the
(11:15):
things that we know after the really the last fifteen
to twenty five years, is we have gotten progressively more
and more people who are unbanked. They're out of the
core banking system, and and they use alternative channels. They
don't use credit cards, debit cards, they don't use banking
(11:39):
system or checking accounts, uh, they use alternative lenders, whether
that be paid a lenders or check cashers. And that
that's not a criticism of any of those channels. It
is though, how do we create a more inclusive system
that allows our communities. Whether you're a young man with
(12:00):
an idea to start a business and you don't have
the resources a friend and family money, or you don't
have a home equity line to draw along, how do
you get the resources to start a business. Or if
you're a young woman and you want to start a
catering business, how do you get the resources in the training?
How do you get the UH, this is how I
(12:21):
build a business plan, so on and so forth, and
and you know what what really is important to me
is is that we do that in in a partnership
with with the community so that we create sustainability. It's
not just getting started, it is how do my bankable
business down the road? Meaning do I pay my taxes?
(12:44):
Do I have financial statements? Do I have the tools
that I need to be a growing in bankable asset
um So that that's a long way of saying that
that when what we think about, when I think about,
you know, the role that we can play. We're in
a unique spot. We're clearly blessed in that we have
(13:07):
the ability to try to influence outcomes. We target trying
to create a more inclusive and equitable and diverse organization
and economic system where we can influence it. And John,
as you know, and as you highlighted in our conversation
thus far, you know, we built partnerships with the organizations
(13:30):
like Operation Hope and put thirty Hope inside UH in
our branches or banking centers over the last eight seven
eight years and really start to impact outcomes well. And
and by the way you putting us in your locations
has helped inspire other finish institutions to put us in
(13:52):
their locations. And when I came to Memphis to do this,
Brian actually encouraged me to go talk to his so
called competitors to get me in their locations too. He
didn't see it as a zero subgame or that first horizon,
the first Tennessee had to succeed and others had to lose.
He thought that in Memphis one, that we're talking about
Memphis in this one example, that the city that Dr
(14:13):
King was assassinated, and by the way, for four eight,
that the whole city would win. Let me back up
and say, I'm gonna challenge something you said, Brian's I
think you're being overly gracious. You said that you're not
criticizing many of these channels. I am, um, look in
these five in the credit scoret neighborhoods, what you see
and half of Black America, just to be very personal,
(14:34):
in my own group, now have a Black America as
a credit score below six twenty. We're not dumb, and
we don't student is what we don't know that we
don't know this killing it, but we think we know
because the Freedman's Bank of a g C five after
the Civil War, around the time the bank was created,
your bank was created. Making created a bank called the
Free Bank to teach free slaves about money. Unfortunately he
was killed the next month. The same month is is
(14:56):
dr king by the way April and the bank fail
at just repair was manipulated, so we never got to them.
Are on month, folks, listen to this. We're are black
folks killing professional sports. The arts are two examples, but
we're not killing it generally speaking. Succeeding in capitalism writ
large because we never got that memo. We confuse making
(15:18):
money with building wealth. So I actually do think, Yeah,
there's nothing wrong the check cash. It was created by
grocery stores writing signing convenience checks. There's nothing wrong in
theory of the payday loanment. But when you take a
payday long lender, which is giving you basically advanced when
your pay check. But when you take these these these players,
you put them in an underserved neighborhood of five of
(15:38):
the credit score, with lack financial literacy and lack of hope.
Now you got a check cash next to a payday
long lender, next or rent to own store next, or
title lener next for bigger store next, will paun shot
without banking, charging very expensive fees the people who can't
afford it. And I just think that that's wrong, and
I think that you cannot have growth in America, and
(15:58):
I would argue around the world without a functioning banking system.
You need a banking system, and you need a banker
who wants to say yes to you irrespective of your race.
And what Brian has proved to me, is it whether
you're white, black, red, brown, and yellow. He wants to
give you some green if you can prove that you
can sustain that he mentioned in his comments, We want
(16:22):
this is to be sustainable business. Translation, he's not giving
you charity here, like he's got shareholders. You gotta repay
your loan, but if you get your credit score up,
the bank's trying to get into the Yes business, Yes
to home ownership, the average homeownership rate for black folks,
white folks, se plus, Yes the small business ownership. Yes
(16:44):
to entrepreneurship, but you gotta get your credit score up
so he can say yes. But no one tells anybody
these rules. So he's allowing us to operating the branches
so that we can talk to you in ways that
banks can't, and we can coach you up so the
bank can say yes. And this becomes an immer market,
a new a new marketplace for him in the bank.
So he's really doing some truly pioneering, extraordinary work. And
(17:07):
this d and I think he mentioned I made him
unpack it. It sounds like a speech, didn't it. No, no, no,
It's like it's reading a note that this lady named
Monica Jones who works the bank. Is she an E V. P. Right, Yes,
she is black woman. Last time I checked the charge
of commercial credit. I mean she makes lending decisions for
(17:32):
a full range of businesses that are ninety billion dollar bank.
And he's continued to promote her. Now, Bryan, did you
promote shoot because she was black and because she was good,
because she was good, because she's actually great? That's it.
That's what you want. Isn't that what we all want?
A society that works based on your merit, that you're married,
(17:55):
and the fact that Brian Jordan is operationalizing so she
justice through an economic lens at all levels. Quietly, I'm
telling some of the stories here, but every week, you know,
every other week, for sure, we have some conversation that matters.
Remember you called me Brian. I can't tell because we're
still in the middle of all that. You call me
about a guy who came to me with a vision
(18:17):
for a financial institution, and you wanted me to talk
to him that, you know, to try to work it
out for he had all the twols to be successful
like that. That had nothing theoretically to do with you
other than you were writing a check anyway to help
him moving along the road. But you keep extending yourself
beyond where you have to where I come from. That's
(18:38):
called love night. You're not living not exactly a you know,
a liberal, you know, bleeding heart. Um, what's driving your
love for a guy like me? Well, and you're you're
you're unique in your case is just charisma. Um, I'm
a I'm a big lever in in people, and I'm
(19:02):
a big believer in opportunity. And and I know I
can actually say this because because you can't see it,
but John's wearing a T shirt that says self made
something right now and yeah, self predit entrepreneur. And and
you know, while while all generalizations are wrong in some way,
(19:23):
shape or form. You know, we we have all gotten
the benefit of advice or counsel or mentorship or a
helping hand somewhere along the way. And in my case,
it's what can I do to to help? What can
I do to be of assistant? Um, you know, In
in your case, John, you know, you'll you'll remember we
(19:48):
have a mutual friend out of Dallas who who suggested
I sit down and and have breakfast with you. And
uh and and you know John, for those of you
that know John, well, you know he didn't have breakfast
till about eleven in the morning. And uh and and
we got together for breakfast. Yeah, we got together for breakfast.
(20:12):
And and I knew just a little bit of what
background research I was able to do on Operation Hope.
But you'll you'll remember the conversation was was a rather
straightforward conversation. There was already an Operation Hope location here.
It was in Memphis. It was in a truest banking center.
(20:33):
It was sun Trust at the time. And and you
and I talked for about forty five minutes, and he said,
you'll me to give you the best reason you need
to do this. And I said, give me the best reason.
And you said to me something like the the issues
(20:53):
around financial literacy and credit score and and these these
issues around um banking issues are very broad based, and
that we are working with people who work in your
bank to help them through these challenges. And and when
(21:17):
when we went, when you put it in those kinds
of terms, it was real clear to me that that
this is a huge and a broad based need. And
and uh, I found in in you somebody who, as
you said, we don't agree on everything, and and we
(21:39):
but we have constructive debate, but we do share a
passion for making a difference and putting people in a
position where they can do more, do better, meet their dreams,
meet meet the needs of their family with stability, and
(21:59):
create more homeownership, create more small businesses, create greater sustainability.
But it's all about giving back. Building the good life
is brought to you by Prudential Financial. For over forty
five years, millions of people have counted on Prudential to
help solve for life's most important financial needs. Because at
Prudential they live their purpose to make life better by
(22:22):
solving for the financial challenges of our changing world. Prudentials
Who's Your Rock campaign is also about helping people reach
new heights and providing a platform for people to reach
their financial goals. I do remember calling you one day
and saying that we'd opened up this this hope inside
UH location. UM and UM with his blessing. Brian with
(22:44):
another stitution and set over his employees that come over
financial coaching at the other institution because they were ashamed
to admit that they were a banker and they had
some financial challenges. They didn't want to go to the
HR department for fear of getting fired. I get it
by the way we opened up it first horizon, and
then we had twenty of the other institutions employees come
(23:08):
over the first horizon because they had the same issue.
They didn't want to go to their HR department. And
we found that this issue affects everybody. Doesn't matter what
race doesn't matter, what color doesn't matter, what income level.
People with a hundred thousand dollar incomes have too much
month at they end of their money, it over spent.
It confused making money with building wealth. And and so Brian,
(23:28):
I found a commonality there and something we could do together.
And and I and I love what the way he
out basically because I believe in the James Round version
of affermative action. Open the door, I'll get it myself.
And I didn't want to hand out from from Brian
Jordan's I wanted to hand up, and everybody in my
community wanted to hand up. And Brian also suggested that
(23:51):
we open a hope inside it Mason Temple, Church of
God in Christ And I said, you, as said, you
must be in your mind. What what did you say
opened up at a church? Yes, I did, he said,
I think the community needs it. That area is underserved
by the way. It happened to be the church that
Dr King gave his last speech before he was assassinated.
(24:13):
I think it was that I have I think he said.
I think it was a version of the I Have
a dream of speech, as I recall I've been. It
was a mountaintop speech. I'm sorry now he collapsed, and
I remember Dr King collapsed. He never collapsed before, collapsed
in the arms of Andrew Young, my mentor, Reverend Jesse
Jackson and others. And and the next day he was
assassinated in Memphis and dot and Brian Jordan called me again,
(24:35):
then when you talk to the mayor, mayor, when you
come and speak at theft anniversary. Remember this anniversary of
that of the sanitation workers. Well, the sanitation workers is
the reason Darter King was there, and those problems proliferated
for another few decades and he but it's like the
works unfinished. These are things that people doing behind closed
during when nobody's watching, called leadership. And last thing I'll say,
(25:00):
and I want I want us to. I want to end, Brian,
with you talking about, in whatever way you want to,
some of the things you're proud of that the bank's
doing now that you've merged, and what the future looks
like and what people can expect from your growing enterprise.
Um and to see this come from any bank institution
is a hundred fifty years old, had a interesting background
(25:21):
in the eighteen hundreds, all of them, all of them,
and to see them come from that to what he's
doing now makes me so um so proud just to
be to be blunt about it. So let's see what
politics were a second. And we're not gonna get into
details here, but I just want you to understand how
authink this friendship is. Brian, I have different politics generally speaking,
(25:43):
we also have a bum factor. And I didn't tell
Brian this. I'm just I'm gonna say it. I think
we both agree. Republicans and bumps, when present Democrats abumps.
When he presented black folks abumps, when you presenter white
folks bum so called leaders of bums, they say it,
(26:03):
but they don't mean it. They're manipulating their playing games,
and when we see it, we call it for what
it is. But any percent of people are good people,
and we shouldn't generalize, and we should try to find
solutions where we can find them. But we need to
call out bums when we see it. And we're not
getting a name calling whatever. But Brian and I we
we've we've had this conversation and we meet him and
his wife Kim. We've had a conversation and we've disagreed
(26:24):
on a range of things. We always agreed on doing
the right thing, and as soon as we figured out
what was the right thing, we're on all over that
like a cheap suit. Brian, this concept of talk about
being offensive, listen without being defensive, and always leaving even
our adversary with our dignity. I would say if we
(26:47):
could do that in Memphis, Tennessee, with folks who grew
up radically different background, where we stay in each other's homes,
eat the same food, hug the same, love, the same, laugh,
the same, cry, the same. We could probably do that
across this country as a business plan. What do you think? Yeah,
(27:08):
I think we've got to do that. John h. You
know you you often restite the statistic that you know
your DNA and my DNA white man and a black man,
are you know, ninety nine point six percent the same?
And what differences we have are extraordinarily small? And why
is it that we spend more time on our differences
(27:31):
as a society. And and I don't understand that I
read just about every day. I usually start my day
with it, and then I check the afternoon edition the
website Real Real Clear Politics dot com. I think it
does a great job of even when you get a
strident position on one side, you get a strident position
(27:51):
on the other side, but it gives you sort of
a chance to hear both sides of it. And and
I'm for particularly frustrated in in our politics and that
I think we've stopped listening to one another. Most most
people don't talk just to be provocative. Some some folks do,
(28:12):
of course, but most folks don't talk to be provocative.
And if you have a belief about something, it's my
job to figure out why you believe what you believe,
and and then I have better understanding and hopefully you're
doing the same. And I think in our relationship we
we have done that. And you know, I wish through
(28:35):
through the grace of God and John Bryant, I've gotten
to know a bastor Andrew Young over the last I
don't know ten years, fifteen years pretty well. And you know,
if you look at his political career, if we had
more people in leadership positions like ambassadoryom who we're always
thinking about how we move everybody forward, not my side,
(28:58):
not your side, everybody, for we would we would be
a much much better off society. And I went into
this pandemic with a what I would describe self describe
as a very naive view of things, and that we
were all gonna deal with a pandemic that was um
(29:22):
a shared experience. It was gonna be bad for everybody.
We're gonna have lockdowns, the economic cost was gonna be high.
And and I look at where we are today and
and it's divided us as as opposed to pulling us together.
And it makes me wonder, you know, how do we
get leadership at the highest levels? And I'm not sure
(29:45):
it has to be our political leaders, but it can
be church faith, it can be civic leaders, it can
be anything. How do we start bringing ourselves back together
and focus on that that I'll use the DNA analogy
that not even and point six pc of shared experience,
that says we all to all be pulling in the
(30:05):
same direction. It's okay to disagree, but let's figure out
how we pull in the same direction and get out
of this zero sum game that we've ended up in
where for John to win, I have to lose and
for me to win, John has to lose. That makes
no sense to me at all. Right, right, yeah, you
can take no pleasure in the fact there's a hole
(30:26):
in my end of our boat. If the boat thinks
we're all done right and what what? And you know,
I think this is my sort of some recomment on
why I love my conversation with Brian Jordan. It's remarkably
I mean, it's it's simple, it's common sense. But common
sense is not so common it's decent. Decency is not
(30:48):
so common is authentic. Authenticity is not so common. We
love math because it doesn't have an opinion. Uh. And
and we believe that if we we that if we
work together as partners and brothers and friends, the too
plus two just might equal sixth eight or ten. Um.
This just might be the third reconstruction we're experiencing right now.
The first reconstruction was after the Civil War. It was
(31:09):
about basic basic freedom and basic democracy and basic access.
So I think that we're experiencing what I call a
third reconstruction, Brian. The first reconstruction came after the Civil War,
and that was about basic access, basic freedom, real reinformation
of our democracy. We're better together. The second reconstruction was
(31:31):
a civil rights movement. Um. We talked a little bit
about that now was about jobs getting from the fields
to the factories, voting rights, reformation of voting rights and
uh and political freedom. And this third reconstruction, I believe
is social justice to an economic lens. I think it's economics.
I think it's ownership. I think it's wealth and income.
(31:52):
In to quality, I think it's diversity and inclusion. Um.
And we're I mean, I think your model in my model,
and there is are proving that a diverse and inclusive
organization is a more prosperous organization. It's not only decent,
it's not only the right thing to do, it's also
quite profitable. Did I write about that, Brian? Yeah, yeah,
(32:13):
it is, it is, it's you know, if it if
it's it's it's back to so much of life. If
we create win win situations, if we can create good
situations for our customers, for our communities, it's gonna be
good for our company and our shareholders, and vice versa.
If it's good for our shareholders, it's likely to be
good for our community, because it's not sustainable. If you
(32:36):
let it get out of balance for long, it just
doesn't work. Yes, what I knew was that this conversation
with risk going over and I don't want to do that.
I want to abuse Brian's time. He's gotta bank to
run um, And I don't want to bore you the
thirte commandment that shouting I bore people. I just love
talking to this dude, And every time I leave a conversation,
(32:56):
I leave better. If you love Operation Hope, you gotta
love Brian Joe Um. I can't get into the details
of it with on time. But he really helped to
turn the organization around about five years ago and stabilized
stabilize us financially, donated time through heat so the company
called Accenture Ahead consulting time that they owed him a
few hundred thousand dollars. He donated that to us. We
(33:19):
didn't have to pay the consulting firm to help us
restructure Operation Hope. And that's led to a point now
our Operation Hope itself is self sustainable. We had a mission,
but we didn't have a business plan. And what he's
trying to do through the bank is to give every
family a business plan, to give every entrepreneur and small
business owner a shot a successive failure on your own merit.
(33:43):
Isn't that what we all want? A shot a successive
failure on our own merit? Brian Jordan want me as
we wrapped, but won't you tell us what your vision
is for the bank, what you're doing now, what your
plan on doing, and what we can expect from you
and how people find you if they want to work
for you, invest in you, our partnered with you. Yeah. Absolutely,
(34:04):
As as you said in the very beginning, we were
founded in eighteen sixty four, Abraham Lincoln was president about
three blocks from where I'm sitting right now. Today, we're
across twelve states, mostly southern states, Texas to Virginia, Arkansas
to Florida. If you think about the southern part of
the United States, you can reach us on First Horizon
(34:26):
dot Com. We're we're looking to grow across all those
markets are Our view is a very simple, when I
said it, a couple of different ways in this we
we want to be not only a part of the
economic fabric in the communities we serve, but we want
to play a role in strengthening that economic fabric, linking
capital and council with with the two to improve the
(34:51):
lives of our customers and communities. We are uh in essence,
trying to provide a very local experience. We have local
leadership in our markets that care about their markets, They
know their markets, they serve on the city council or
the Chamber of Commerce or whatever happens to be, and
(35:12):
and we bring the big bank resources that allow us
to use our balance sheet to really help customers achieve
very meaningful things in their lives. So my vision is
is that we continue to build that that close connection
with our customers. We build that close connection with our
(35:32):
communities in such a way that we're integral to the
economic fabric or where we live, where we work, and
where we play. A man, I love that as a
church and was happening? Now? What have you done for
me lately? Uh, ladies and gentlemen. This is Brian Jordan,
the president and chief executive officer of one of the
fifth uh five top banks in the entire South, the
(35:56):
largest bank in Tennessee. Just merge, just quite another Jusian Iberia,
I believe, which is out of New Orleans. If I
recall it's called First Horizon Bank, that's his bank. I
want you to think about it. Look look forward, check
him out. He's a cool dude. He's not perfect, but
he's perfect in this imperfection because he's authentic. And as
I close, I'm gonna say this, Ryan Joy trying to
(36:18):
kill me twice shooting. Its snowmobiling, and uh, I've got
I've not got a gun. I'm practicing skee shooting, So
I'm gonna I'm gonna make sure I'm not embarrassed. The
next time. You didn't, you didn't, you didn't succeed in
discouraging me there and and uh, you know, everybody know
black folks don't like cold weather. Brian Jordan, you you
know we from Africa. Man, you got me in the
(36:41):
zero talking about are you having fun? I had like
five levels of heaters in my in my midst but
I had a ball because I was on something with
a motor underneath me. And I'm coming back for more.
So I'm coming back for some more snowball. So you
gotta tell the truth about the skate shoot and you
walk out your back door and shoot him. Now that's true.
(37:02):
I got, I got. I Hope you've enjoyed this as
much as I have enjoyed doing it. You've met not
just a progressive CEO for the future. You met a
decent in being for right now, somebody that we can
all emulate, Ladies and gentlemen. This has been building the
good life with John Hope, Bryant and Brian Jordan. This
(37:23):
is the master class for my interview with Brian Georgian,
President in chief executive officer of First Horizon Bank, one
of the top five banks in the South ninety billion
dollars in assets, just below that built it over a
hundred and fifty plus years, and now he's running it
with a new philosophy, doing well and doing good too.
Brian is the epitome I think of just decency. It's
(37:46):
a radical movement like Operation Hope of Common Sense. Here
you have a Southerner and white and conservative who's found
a way to bomb with a Northern who's black and
I believe progressive in my view. Um, and we've found
a way to disagree sometimes without being disagreeable. We found
(38:07):
the way to both be nosy. How do you get
so smart? Quincy Jones, I'm just nosy as hell, he
told both Brian Jordan and I are nosy. I want
to know what he knows. He wants to know what
I know. We both lived by the ethos talk without
being offensive, listening without being defensive, and always leave even
your adversary with their dignity because if you don't, that
spend the rest of their life trying to make you miserable.
(38:29):
We both agree that people in his party and his
community aren't perfect. People in my party, whatever that might
be in my community, aren't perfect. There are bums everywhere,
just like there's brilliance everywhere, and we should we should
site the bums and highlight the brilliance wherever we find them.
Brian Jordan's It's just normal. We need more normal in
(38:52):
the world, and we have normal. With decency and authenticity,
power and access to credit and capital either CEO of bank,
you can actually change communities and transform all. This has
been the masterclass John Hope brought it. Building the Good
Life with John Hope Bryant is brought to you by
Credentials Financial h
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