Barnett's new leader: last of a dying breed of bankers. (Roland Kennedy of Barnett Bank)

Barnett's New Leader: Last Of A Dying Breed Of Bankers

Don't let Roland Kennedy's charm and easygoing persona fool you. They're just part of a total package to sell Barnett Bank and its services to even the most reluctant holdout.

Kennedy loves Barnett, loves to talk about the bank and never lets himself or his employees slack off when it comes to staying on top. He's a man who enjoys the world around him, his career and the people whose lives touch his.

Named president and CEO of Barnett Bank of Pinellas County in February, Kennedy relocated here from Jacksonville, where he started his banking career in 1946 with a diminutive version of today's statewide Barnett operation. He spent most of his years at Barnett Bank of Jacksonville, punctuated by a 10-year stint at Jacksonville's Barnett Bank of Murray Hill, then an independent affiliate, where he ultimately assumed the presidency.

Although he says he didn't seek the Pinellas County assignment, Kennedy says he is "excited and delighted with it." Quick to point out that he wasn't sent here from the home office to straighten things out, Kennedy says, "I operate on the theory if it ain't broke, etc., etc., and this bank certainly is not …