Continuing a commitment to its community banking philosophy, BB&T announced today it is reorganizing its Atlanta metro operations into two regions - North Atlanta and South Atlanta to accommodate accelerating growth in Georgia’s most vibrant city.

The North Atlanta Region, headquartered in Buckhead, will be headed by Tasia Katapodis, former Atlanta area executive and a graduate of Vanderbilt University. The South Atlanta Region, based in Peachtree City, will be led by 18-year BB&T veteran Bobby Blakley, a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“BB&T has seen tremendous growth in the past few years,” said Lars Anderson, Georgia state president and president of the former Atlanta Region. “There seems to be no sign of that growth halting anytime in the near future.”

BB&T announced in mid-December its acquisition of Main Street Banks Inc. of Atlanta, which will improve BB&T’s market share to fifth from sixth in both metro Atlanta and Georgia.

As Georgia’s president, Anderson will continue overseeing the entire region and focus on BB&T’s specialized commercial real estate and residential construction lending services, while his new reports will focus on building relationships in their respective regions.

Blakley is also looking forward to closer contact with clients and his employees.

“Our new structure truly is reflective of our community banking model,” he said. “With this reorganization, we have expanded resources dedicated to South Atlanta that will provide our local personnel more flexibility in meeting our clients’ financial needs. Additionally, I personally will have closer contact with branch staff, allowing me to ensure we’re delivering the client service expected of BB&T.”

A Kernersville, N.C., native, Blakley has worked in various capacities at BB&T, serving as corporate banker in Greensboro, N.C., and an area executive for the Atlanta region. While in Greensboro, Blakley was a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the local Rotary Club. He and his wife, Marsha, are active members of Peachtree City United Methodist Church and reside in Peachtree City with their two children, Cameron and Connor.

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