Banking's New Color

Trevor Burgess does not want C1 Bank to be mistaken for the average bank.

Walking into C1 Bank, you'll immediately notice there are no mahogany walls, no offices and no secretaries. The modern design and artsy flair looks more like an office you'd find at a big tech company in Silicon Valley than what you'd expect from a community bank in Florida. Employees follow a strict dress code of either a suit or a C1 Bank shirt.

Burgess, C1 Bank's 40-year-old chief executive officer, says he wanted the bank's office to be open like his previous stomping grounds — the trading floor on Wall Street. The openness not only speaks to the company's culture, but also improves productivity and accountability, he insists.