“I have the best view in Jasper.”

Situated on the fourth floor of Pinnacle Bank, Terry Gurganus has a beautiful view of downtown Jasper and the trees that stretch beyond. Here, he can see cars as they stop and go, people parading the sidewalks, and businesses flourishing and growing. To anyone, this would be the most scenic view in town. But while Terry enjoys the view, the people he sees around him are even more special to him.

Growing up, Terry attended schools in both Cordova and Jasper, graduating from Walker High School in 1977. He later moved on to Walker College, where he studied business. Around that time, he met Cathy Posey, and his view of life became a little sweeter. The couple married in 1980 and had one daughter, Laura.   

Terry started in the banking industry in 1978 when he went to work at First National Bank of Jasper. He worked in several banks throughout the years and held different titles such as collections officer, branch manager, and commercial lender.  

In April 2016, Terry began working at Pinnacle Bank in downtown Jasper, where he serves as Senior Business Lender. In a sense, he “partners” with businesses around the area, working to help make them successful.

“It’s really about relationships, establishing them, and working to keep them strong,” says Terry.

In his free time, Terry is a sports enthusiast and spends time watching football and playing golf. “I started playing golf in college, and I was actually on the golf team at Walker College for a while,” he says.

In recent years, Terry has been an avid tennis player and bicyclist, logging around 15,000 miles over a 6-year period.

Throughout the week, Terry and Cathy serve at First Baptist Church of Jasper, where he formerly served as Chairman of the Deacons and of the Finance Committee. Tapping into his love for music, Terry sings in his church choir and is an active member of the Jasper Men’s Chorale.

At church, Terry and his wife participate in “Serve Sundays” as an outreach to the community. “I usually go with the choir to sing at the nursing home, but we’ll send groups into the community to do various service projects or to visit with people in the area. Then, everyone will meet back at the church for supper and talk about what they did,” he says.

Family is very important to Terry. He spends a lot of time traveling with Cathy, vacationing around the United States and beyond. Some of his favorite vacation spots include California, Montana, and even Scotland, which he describes as “the trip of a lifetime.” He and Cathy also spend a lot of time with their daughter, son-in-law, and four grandchildren.

“I love my wife and my family, and the older I get the more I appreciate them,” he says.

Terry lives a very full life, and his friends, family, and customers mean a great deal to him. By getting to help friends in the community through his position at Pinnacle Bank and having a loving family surround him, Terry really does have the best view a man could ask for. 78