Citizens Community Bank and Chancy Drugs, both community-focused, locally owned businesses in south Georgia, have been working together for more than 50 years.
“My experience with a community bank actually started when I was about a year old in 1966, when my mom and dad started our original pharmacy in Hahira, said Hugh Chancy of Chancy Drugs. “DK Hollis, Jr., the president and owner of CCB at the time, gave them their first business loan which allowed us to start our family business.”
But the relationship certainly didn’t stop there after that first business loan according to Chancy.
“Over the years DK Hollis and the bank supported our family as we grew our businesses,” said Chancy. “We considered CCB our partners, not just a bank. As my brother and I took over the family business, DK continued to give us sound business advice and supported our growth. ”
Much like Citizens Community Bank, which has third and fourth generation bankers since its founding in 1927, Chancy Drugs is a family run business. Hugh, a pharmacist, and his brother Bert took over the business from their parents and work together as business partners. Hugh’s wife Tina, a pharmacist, and Bert’s wife, Cyndi are also active in the business, and most recently, Hugh’s son Patrick, a third-generation pharmacist, joined them.
Chancy sees a lot of similarities between Citizens Community Bank and Chancy Drugs, with both businesses being started and still owned by family just one of the common threads.
“Today our business core values are ‘Caring - Committed- Community.’ I feel these are the same values our community bank has shared with us over the years,” said Chancy. “When I think of the word community, I think of relationships. To me that is what a community bank is; in our case, it started in 1966 and continues to grow today.”
Both community pharmacies and local banks see their community and its citizens at their best and during tough times - and have the opportunity to help people at both junctures.
“Our business is based on relationships,” said Chancy. “That relationship with new parents when their new baby is sick for the first time, and they need someone to talk them through it or come to the pharmacy in the middle of the night to get medication for them. That relationship with a family when they are in the difficult last days of a loved one. We are blessed to be a part of those times. Being that source of information to improve health for the people in our community is why we do what we do.”
Chancy continued, saying, “Relationships, a commitment to customer service, and using technology to offer innovative services are the backbone of our business. Our banking partner, Citizens Community Bank, is exactly the same way.”
Citizens Community Bank is proud of the long history and shared values with Chancy Drugs. It’s one example of the bank’s commitment to local businesses in Lowndes County, Brooks County, Cook and Berrien counties, and across south Georgia. Stop by one of our locations today in Valdosta, Hahira or Morven to see how banking with CCB can put a smile on your face! Learn more at CCBGA.bank.