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Murray, KY Press Releases

ATA CPAs + Advisors Names New Partner

Murray, KY. — Congratulations to Ty Ellegood on being named the newest partner at ATA, a nationally recognized CPA and advisory firm. With over seven years of dedicated service in the public accounting industry, Ty has proven to be a valuable asset to the firm, helping lead the Murray, KY. office.

As a certified public accountant specializing in tax and audit, Ty brings a wealth of expertise to his new leadership role. In his capacity as a partner, he will have several important responsibilities such as client relationship management, guidance for client success, mentoring and providing professional development to others on the ATA team.

“Ty’s promotion to partner signifies his dedication, expertise, and commitment to ATA’s success,” said Managing Partner John Whybrew. “It’s a significant achievement in his career, and his contributions will undoubtedly further strengthen ATA’s position in the industry. His clients and colleagues can look forward to continued excellence in service and leadership.”

“I feel very fortunate to be honored with this exciting career advancement and am thankful for the support and guidance I have received from the ATA partners and staff throughout my career,” said Ty. “I look forward to the ongoing opportunity to deliver outstanding service while accommodating the diverse requirements of our clients.”

Ty received both his Bachelor of Arts in Accounting/Information Systems and Master of Business Administration from Murray State University. During this time, Ty interned with ATA and upon graduation in 2016, he joined the firm full-time. Since then, he has earned both his Certified Public Accountant and Certified Management Accountant designations. Ty is devoted to meeting the needs of his clients and managing relationships while serving the Murray area through his personal and professional endeavors.

Ty has been married to his beautiful wife, Lauren, since 2017. Together, they have one son, Hank, who keeps them on their toes. Ty enjoys spending time with family and friends, as well as watching and playing a variety of sports.

As a Murray State alum, Ty is an active participant in the Murray community. He serves as Treasurer for the Murray-Calloway County Need Line and is an active member of the Murray-Calloway County Chamber of Commerce and Westside Baptist Church.

 

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ATA CPAs + Advisors PLLC

ATA is a long-term business advisor to its clients and provides other services that are not traditionally associated with accounting. For example, Revolution Partners, ATA’s wealth management entity provides financial planning expertise; ATA Technologies provides trustworthy IT solutions; ATA Digital focuses on growth through the design and development of marketing and digital products as well as offers video, social media, and digital content for small businesses; and ATA Employment Solutions is a comprehensive human resource management agency.

ATA has 15 office locations in Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky and Mississippi. Recognized as an IPA Top 150 regional accounting firm, it provides a wide array of accounting, auditing, tax and consulting services for clients ranging from small family-owned businesses to publicly traded companies and international corporations. ATA is also an alliance member of BDO USA LLP, a top five global accounting firm, which provides additional resources and expertise for clients.

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Tornado Relief Resources

Eastern Arkansas
Monette, AR: Mail monetary donations to Centennial Bank c/o City of Monette Community Relief Fund, 302 West Drew Ave., Monette, Arkansas 72447

Western Kentucky
United Way of Southern Kentucky

Team Western KY

Mayfield, KY: Mail monetary donations to First Kentucky Bank c/o Mayfield Community Foundation, 223 S 6th St., Mayfield, KY 42066

Shop Local Kentucky: purchase a “Kentucky Strong” T-shirt and 100% of the proceeds will go to the Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund

Middle & West Tennessee
United Way of West TN

United Way of Obion County: Mail monetary donations to P. O. Box 484, Union City, TN 38281

Samburg, TN: Mail monetary donations to Reelfoot Rural Ministries, 6923 Minnick Elbridge Rd., Obion County, TN 38240

Samburg, TN immediate needs: AA & AAA batteries, flashlights & lanterns, Hot Hands, diapers, wipes, blankets, toilet paper, paper towels, laundry supplies, dog & cat food (drop off at 605 S Main St, Troy)

Dresden, TN immediate needs: cleaning supplies, toiletries, new undergarments, new/ gently used clothing (preferably on hangers), new/ gently used toys to replace Christmas gifts, heaters, tables (drop off at at 8250 TN Hwy. 22, Dresden)

Kenton, TN: Mail monetary donations to First Baptist Church, 204 S Poplar St., Kenton, TN 38233

Kenton, TN immediate needs: cleaning supplies, laundry supplies, toiletries, diapers, wipes, & shoes (drop off at 204 S Polar St., Kenton)

General Disaster Relief
Send Relief/ Southern Baptist Disaster Relief

Salvation Army

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Financial Institutions and Banking Financial News Henderson, KY Henderson, TN Jackson, TN Martin, TN Memphis, TN Milan, TN Murray, KY Nashville, TN Owensboro, KY Paris, TN Trenton, TN Tupelo, MS Union City, TN

Keep Your Customers Satisfied

Over the past few years, community banking has withstood rapid technological changes, unprecedented economic challenges during a pandemic and new demands from its customer base. To maintain profitability amidst all this turmoil, you need to ensure that your bank retains its existing customers. After all, studies show that attracting a new customer typically costs five times more than retaining an existing one.

Here are three fundamental questions to help improve customer satisfaction and, ultimately, retention.

  1. What’s your core deposit base?

A good first step is to identify your core deposits and develop an understanding of customer behaviors. Differentiate loyal, long-term customers from those motivated primarily by interest rates. A core deposit study can help you distinguish between the two types of depositors and predict the impact of fluctuating interest rates on customer retention. Banking regulators strongly encourage banks to conduct these studies as part of their overall asset-liability management efforts.

Core deposit studies assess how much of your bank’s deposit base is interest-rate-sensitive by examining past depositor behavior. They also look at factors that tend to predict depositor longevity. For example, customers may be less likely to switch banks if they have higher average deposit balances and use multiple banking products (such as checking and savings accounts, mortgages and auto loans).

  1. How can you get to know your customers better?

To build customer loyalty, it’s critical to ensure that customers are engaged. According to research by Gallup, engaged customers are more loyal, and they’re more likely to recommend the bank to family and friends. They also represent a bigger “share of wallet” (that is, the percentage of a customer’s banking business captured by the bank).

Recent retail banking studies show that fewer than half of customers at community banks and small regional banks (less than $40 billion in deposits) are actively engaged. The percentages are even smaller at large regional banks (over $90 billion in deposits) and nationwide banks (over $500 billion in deposits). That’s the good news. The bad news is that 50% of customers at online-only banks are fully engaged.

So, how can community banks do a better job of engaging their customers to compete with online banks? The answer lies in leveraging their “local touch” by knowing their customers, delivering superior service, and providing customized solutions and advice. To do that, banks must ensure that their front-line employees — tellers, loan officers, branch managers and call center representatives — are fully engaged in their jobs.

Encouraging employees to engage with customers has little to do with competitive salaries and benefits. Rather, it means providing employees with opportunities for challenging work, responsibility, recognition and personal growth.

  1. How can you develop your online presence?

An increasing number of customers — younger people in particular — use multiple channels and devices to interact with their banks. These include online banking, mobile banking applications and two-way texting.

To build loyalty, banks should enable customers to use their preferred channels and ensure that their experiences across channels are seamless. And don’t overlook the importance of social media platforms. Younger customers are more likely to use these platforms to recommend your bank to their friends and families.

Ask the right questions

Your customer retention strategies shouldn’t be based on guesswork. Consider periodically engaging with customers concerning their level of satisfaction with your current systems and processes. Ask what they’d like to see improved. A brief survey, or even a short conversation, can provide valuable input on ways to keep your customers satisfied with your bank’s services over the long term.

©2021

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Murray, KY News Press Releases

Alexander Thompson Arnold PLLC Announces Leah Bona is Newest Partner

Alexander Thompson Arnold PLLC
112 Robertson Road North
Murray, KY 42071

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information contact:

Alexis Long, Marketing Director
731-427-8571
along@atacpa.net

ALEXANDER THOMPSON ARNOLD PLLC ANNOUNCES NEW PARTNER

Murray, Ky. — Alexander Thompson Arnold PLLC (ATA) is excited to announce Leah Bona, CPA has been admitted as the newest partner at ATA. Bona is being promoted to partner from her position as senior tax manager at the Murray, Ky. office. Bona joined ATA two and a half years ago after a stint in private accounting.

“Leah has proven her leadership skills in her role at the Murray office,” said John Whybrew, managing partner of ATA. “Her wealth of experience in the accounting industry makes her invaluable to our team. We are excited to see Leah’s career, as well as our firm, further develop through this promotion.”

Bona has over 15 years of experience in public accounting as well as over 10 years of experience in private accounting as a controller and CFO. Her responsibilities at ATA include tax and financial planning, preparation of corporate, business and individual tax returns, governmental and nonprofit auditing and an extensive range of accounting services.

“At ATA, we offer an excellent and diverse range of client services, and I believe there is an incredible future ahead for our firm,” said Bona. “I feel very fortunate to be honored with this exciting career advancement and am very thankful for the support and guidance I have received from the ATA partners and staff throughout my career.”

Bona graduated from Murray State University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. She received her Master of Business Administration with an accounting emphasis from Murray State University in 1996.

Bona serves her community on the finance committee at North Fork Baptist Church. She is a member of the Murray-Calloway County Chamber of Commerce and the Murray State Alumni Association. Bona is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Kentucky Society of CPAs.

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About Alexander Thompson Arnold PLLC (ATA)

ATA is a long-term business advisor to its clients and provides other services that are not traditionally associated with accounting. For example, Revolution Partners, ATA’s wealth management entity provides financial planning expertise; ATA Technologies provides trustworthy IT solutions; Sodium Halogen focuses on growth through the design and development of marketing and digital products; Adelsberger Marketing offers video, social media, and digital content for small businesses; and ATA Employment Solutions is a comprehensive human resource management agency. 

ATA has 13 office locations in Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi. Recognized as an IPA Top 200 regional accounting firm, it provides a wide array of accounting, auditing, tax and consulting services for clients ranging from small family-owned businesses to publicly traded companies and international corporations. ATA is also an alliance member of BDO USA LLP, a top five global accounting firm, which provides additional resources and expertise for clients.