Blog

How long have you worked at Citizens? What is your role/title?
3 years, Mortgage Lender

What is your favorite movie line?
“It’s like looking into a doll’s eyes.”
- Jaws

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Are you messy or organized?
Depends... My sock drawer is meticulously put together, but you’d never think so if you were to look inside the console of my truck….

What’s your dream vacation?
Toss-up between 30 days hiking the John Muir Trail, or 30 days rafting through the Grand Canyon.

Do you have a favorite quote?
Too many to choose from, but right now I’m going with: “Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” – C.S. Lewis

If you had to eat one meal the rest of your life what would it be?
Homemade Chili-Mac with a grilled cheese sandwich.

Do you have a motto or personal mantra?
“Get over it!”

Tell us a little about your family.
I have been married to my wife Angie for 25 years this month. We met while serving together in the United States Marine Corps. We have a son Malcolm Seth who is 11. He is a 6th grader at Evans Elementary. He loves to play soccer and baseball and is a boy scout in Troop 4071 in Albertville.

People would be surprised if they knew ______________?
Not sure if it is surprising or not, but some friends and I crashed Richard Nixon’s Funeral. (crashed, as it was an invitation only event, and we had no such invitation) Long story, but we did get in, it was an honor to be there and it was an awesome day! I’ve never been a huge fan of funerals, but was always an admirer of Mr. Nixon’s.

What is your proudest moment at Citizens?
When I found out that Freida Head was head of HR and I still somehow got hired. Thankfully she is as forgetful as she is forgiving…..and we'll just leave it at that!

How active are you in your community?
My wife and I have served as Youth Pastors at Crossroads Church in Albertville since 2004. I have been the Cub Master at Cub Scout pack 4071 in Albertville since 2017, and a den leader since 2015. I have coached rec league soccer and baseball several times over the years as well.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I enjoy hiking and camping with my family. We sometimes make time to have a garden, and enjoy projects around the house. We don’t have an incredible amount of “spare” time.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
If I had to narrow it down to one thing, it would be that moment when you figure out a way to help someone attain home ownership who believed it couldn’t or wouldn’t happen for them. There is no replacement for that feeling.

What do you like most about working at Citizens?
I would have to say the free clothes….I have accumulated a nice little wardrobe in my short tenure here. Also, the food. We really like to eat here, and we have some really good cooks. We need very little excuse to get together and eat. In all seriousness, I can honestly say that I have never worked anywhere else that felt more like family from the top down. That has been the most refreshing aspect of my experience here.

What are three words that describe CBT?
Family  Community  Influence

Our tagline is “Small Bank. Big Difference.” What does that mean to you?
Too often potential impact is gauged solely by capacity. Capacity is self-serving until it produces spill over. It is the spill over that impacts outside the walls of one’s capacity. If you pour 5 gallons of water into a five-gallon bucket, the bucket will adequately contain the water in itself, but nothing outside the bucket is impacted. Pour the same 5 gallons into a one-gallon bucket, the bucket is filled to capacity, but 4 gallons have impacted the area outside the bucket. We could very well become the one-gallon bucket that sees the need to build a bigger container and hold more in. We choose rather to spill over and impact the world around us beyond our capacity to simply be a bank.

Andy Oram
NMLS# 484979
Mortgage Lender