July 2023 Sponsor Spotlight - Kyle Bartosiak

Title:  VP, Commercial Relationship Manager
 
Company: Regions Bank
 
Length of FEI sponsorship: 2 years
 
Work email: [email protected]
 
Work phone number: (812) 322-3921
 
Tell us a little bit about your career, educational/professional background and how you got to where you are today.
 
For those who believe in “the third time’s a charm,” my career is somewhat of a testament. After receiving an undergraduate degree from Indiana University (Bloomington), I started my professional career in sales with the Tampa Bay Lightning. After a couple seasons working in ticket sales, I made the jump to what I call my “second career,” working in advertising at a small boutique firm in Tampa.
 
During that time, I began to realize I was more interested in the financial side of the business. I spent the next several years exploring options and refocusing my career efforts. Ultimately, I ended up going to grad school at the University of South Florida and graduated with a MS in Finance in 2014.
 
Over the past nine years, I’ve been working in commercial/middle market banking, initially with SunTrust Bank, then Synovus Bank and now with Regions Bank. I started my banking career going through a year-long training program, and then joined the credit side of SunTrust as a middle market analyst/portfolio manager. I’ve been in my current role as a Relationship Manager since September 2019. 
 
 
What is one piece of information you wish someone had told you when you first started your career?
 
Bloom where you’re planted. Like a lot of people right out of college, I assumed my career would be a path that was “straight up and to the right.”  When it didn’t happen as I thought it would, frankly, I got discouraged, frustrated, and somewhat lost for a short period of time. The older I get, the more I realize the path of “straight up and to the right” is often more the exception than the rule. For many, there are bumps along the way and things don’t always work out exactly as planned. My focus now is to take full advantage of opportunities as they are presented, prosper where I’m able and continue to reinvent myself as needed.
 
What do you love most about working in the finance profession?
 
Particularly from the vantage point of banking, I love the intersection of working with numbers and people to solve what can sometimes be complex issues or client needs. It’s a great mixture of art and science. I work with many types of people and companies, which offers a lot of variety and brings in a bit of the “art” into working on any deal or relationship. At the same time, the numbers serve as a basis of fact or “science” to help keep conversations somewhat candid and provide a sense of uniformity.
 
Do you think it takes a certain kind of personality to thrive in your field? What traits are most important?
 
I don’t think there’s one certain type of person or personality that can be successful in banking.  However, I do think that two extremely important traits are needed to be successful – 1) a propensity to be curious, and 2) an ability and willingness to listen. Each client has a unique story, and in my opinion, we need to ask questions and understand that story before we can provide any real value. 
 
What are some of your personal hobbies outside of work?
 
I have two young kids (Braydon, 7, and Annabelle, 5), so most of my free time is spent with my family or at one of my kid’s extracurricular activities. Over the past year, I’ve found that being a “baseball dad” is basically a full-time job that keeps me busy nights and weekends. Otherwise, I enjoy golfing, traveling, running, and being out on the boat.