A DECADE OF GROWTH IN NORTH CAROLINA: As PNC celebrates one decade in North Carolina, Regional Presidents Weston Andress and Jim Hansen reflect on the bank's local growth, community impact and future.

This is the seventeenth in a series of informative monthly articles for North Carolina businesses from PNC in collaboration with BUSINESS NORTH CAROLINA magazine.

HOW IT STARTED

When Weston Andress was named PNC regional president for Western Carolinas shortly after PNC's 2012 acquisition of RBC Bank (USA), he grew accustomed to people asking what the letters P-N-C stood for. "I remember telling anyone who would listen that PNC was perfect for North Carolina," he says. "What was most important for me to convey, particularly in a competitive banking environment, was how PNC offers the capabilities of one of the nation's largest banks, together with a local delivery model that allows us to build meaningful relationships with our customers and provide personalized solutions."

HOW IT'S GOING

These days, the questions Andress fields are more substantive in nature, given PNC's extensive work in the Corporate & Institutional Banking space, the local buildout of PNC Private BankSM, PNC's digital innovations and investments in technology, and its local philanthropic and charitable endeavors. What hasn't changed during a decade that saw an acceleration in digital transformation within the financial services industry and unprecedented disruption in the global economy is the Main Street bank philosophy that drives PNC's business strategy and corporate philanthropy locally, and to which Andress credits the company's success in N.C.

FACILITATING BUSINESS GROWTH

PNC's decade-long expansion in North Carolina has mirrored the state's growing population, influence and business landscape. Since PNC formalized its local presence, the state's population has grown by nearly 1 million people, N.C. businesses have led the nation in innovation with 70% patent growth and the state has consistently ranked among the best for doing business, among other milestones and superlatives. "As one of the region's largest banks, we have played a major role in facilitating this growth--and we are a beneficiary of it," says Jim Hansen, PNC regional president for Eastern Carolinas.

When a once-in-a-century pandemic threatened the future of local companies, PNC registered nearly 4,000 Paycheck Protection Program loans, totaling almost $900 million, in the Carolinas. Hansen considers this achievement among the most monumental during PNC's local tenure. "As I reflect on the events of the past 10 years, this period stands out as the most consequential for businesses that are the...