On the Brink

Allen Brinkman didn't plan to pursue a banking career back in 1986 when he worked a summer job with Trust Co. of Georgia in Atlanta.

He only sought some extra spending money when the bank, a predecessor to SunTrust, hired him for a teller position. Turned out Brinkman liked the job, and 25 years and a dozen or so markets later, after a brief stop in customer service for Hilton Hotels in California, he's back with SunTrust.

Brinkman's role, which he took on in late 2010, is division CEO of the SunTrust market that stretches from Citrus County through Tampa south to Collier County. The market encompasses $23 billion in assets, 155 branches and 5,000 employees. If a lender that big were a standalone entity, it would be the largest bank on the Gulf Coast by far — $12 billion in assets ahead of St. Petersburg-based Raymond James.