Dale Massie Will Retire After 44 Years In Banking
One conversation with VCNB Lender Dale Massie and there’s no doubt that he is a people person. He loves getting to know them, he loves talking to them, and he loves helping them. That’s why so many people who have encountered Dale in his 44-year career will be sad to know that he will be retiring soon.
Dale joined our bank family in 2016, working in McArthur before transferring to our new retail branch in Jackson a short time later. He brought with him what felt a little like a fan club of longtime customers who simply loved doing business with Dale.
This may be because he has a calming presence and quick mind for problem solving. He also has a strong desire to help people. In fact, that’s why he chose banking in the first place. The Cleveland native came here with his family as a teenager. He went to the University of Rio Grande and chose a path that would give him a stable job and a way to spend his days helping others.
“There is a grind of sorts to banking, I suppose. I worry about being able to give customers what they need and whether I can solve their problems. There are sometimes problems we can’t help with but I think I’m pretty good at explaining to customers why we aren’t able to help and then telling them what they need to do to qualify,” he said.
He likes to take the time to explain to young people how credit scores work, the importance of making timely payments, and how choices they make today will impact their credit score later. “It’s important to give young people a good start in life and if I can help them understand how credit and borrowing money works, that’s what I try to do.”
Looking back on his career, Dale credits his customers for much of his success. “I feel good about what I’ve done but I have been fortunate to have truly great customers. Many of them have been with me for a long time and have followed me as I have changed jobs. One customer has been with me since the mid-eighties. I’ve been trying to make sure my customers know they’ve got a good local bank here, good people who care about them and to maybe soothe their fears since I won’t be able to help them anymore,” he said.
Dale and his wife Shelly were married for 42 years. They have two sons who are married and five grandchildren. Dale says it’s important to have goals and purpose in life so he has set three retirement goals for himself. He recognizes the value of good health so he wants to work on getting in shape, he hopes to do more traveling, and establish a hobby or two. A self-proclaimed foodie, Dale loves trying new restaurants and revisiting favorites. He hopes to do more of that too.
“It has been an emotional roller coaster lately. I haven’t had second thoughts but it will certainly be hard not seeing my customers and coworkers. It’s sneaking up on me pretty fast but I’m ready and looking forward to having more free time.”
What advice does Dale have for anyone new to banking?
“Get to know your customers as well as you can and get to know all the tools at your fingertips that you can use to help those customers. Establish relationships and they will be your customers and your friends for life. Try to understand their financial needs so you can anticipate what they’ll be needing in the future and allow them to know you as well so they will feel comfortable coming to you on the good days and on the hard ones. That’s the thing. We often are helping people achieve their dreams and sometimes we have to help them through their very worst times. They trust us with it all.”
He also advises getting along with your coworkers. “We’re at work more than at home so we need to get along with everyone. Life is just better when you can get along with people,” he said.
His coworkers agree with Dale that life is better when we all get along and that’s one of the many reasons we will miss him. We will have cupcakes for customers in the lobby at our Jackson County Banking Center on Wednesday, July 30. Please feel free to stop by and wish Dale well!