3 PNC execs help bank go beyond dollars to do 'great things' in the community

As banks across Michigan jockey for position in this hyper-competitive marketplace, things like giving back and making services and funds more accessible to folks, including minority startups, not only lifts the community but helps banks stand out, too.

One institution sticks out for Dr. William F. Pickard, the entrepreneur and best-selling author of “Surviving the Shift: Seven Proven Millionaire Moves for Embracing Change and Building Wealth.”

Pickard is as studious about the banks he invests in as he is in his own businesses that include Global Auto Alliance and Bearwood Management Company, to name a few.  Which is why Pickard is investing some of his money in PNC Bank.

“They are doing some unique things, great things in the community,” he said.

Things like supporting early childhood education, helping people learn about financial literacy and creating a mobile branch to serve neighborhoods where people may not have a way to get to the bank.

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PNC is the fifth largest bank in Michigan by deposit market share, according to the FDIC. It operates 140 branches in the state, including that mobile branch that travels to neighborhoods in Detroit.

PNC also has been embracing diversity, equity and inclusion for years and has been giving back through programs like Grow Up Great, a $500 million initiative launched in 2004 that focuses on helping underserved children gain the skills to succeed in school and life. The program has reached more than 8 million children and their families since it began.

PNC, which is headquartered in Pittsburgh and operates in all 50 states, made Detroit a focal point of its operations because some key national jobs are based here, including jobs held by Gina Coleman, senior vice president and chief diversity officer of PNC Financial Services Group, and Marshalynn Odneal, national sales executive for minority business.

Michael Bickers, who has worked for PNC for 33 years, is president of PNC Detroit/Southeast Michigan. He moved into the role after Ric DeVore left PNC to become CEO of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.

The fact that three African American executives hold top jobs in PNC and are based in Detroit wasn’t lost on Bickers.

“PNC’s commitment to diversity and inclusion has made us stronger — from both a cultural and performance perspective,” Bickers said. “We also want to attract a diverse team that reflects our region. To be effective, a commitment to diversity must be intentional.”

A self-described car guy who grew up near Marygrove College, Bickers is one of three regional PNC presidents in Michigan (others are in Grand Rapids and Lansing).

“PNC operates on a national main street bank model,” Bickers said. “Each president is charged with running PNC’s strategy tailored for his/her market. We make lending and philanthropy decisions locally.”

PNC’s community focus in southeast Michigan includes “early childhood education, economic development, including arts and culture, health and human services, and racial and social justice,” he added.

For 500 preschool and Detroit public school students, Dec. 7, 2022, was a day to remember when, through PNC, they visited The Parade Company’s studio in Detroit to see how floats are made and enjoy educational activities.

“We’ve worked with PNC on many community projects involving thousands and thousands of kids,” said Tony Michaels, president and CEO of The Parade Company. “Each event clearly makes a lasting impact on every child in a wonderful way.”

For the event, PNC employees, who are given 40 hours of time off each year to participate in early childhood education or racial justice programs, volunteered to work with the kids.

Next Monday, PNC will celebrate “Great Day!” which is part of its Grow Up Great program. The bank is holding other events, too, with employee support during April.

3 unique leaders, 3 important missions

In her latest role, Coleman serves as PNC’s chief diversity officer. She rejoined PNC in August 2021 after serving as chief sales officer for MassMutual Great Lakes. She first joined PNC in 2011 as a workplace banking development officer and left in 2019 to join MassMutual Great Lakes.

Coleman talked about her job, which has her crisscrossing the country.

“By focusing on the workforce, workplace and marketplace, my mission is to ensure diversity and inclusion has a seat at the table as decisions are being made that impact not just talent and culture, but business strategy,” Coleman said. “It can’t be put in a silo. It has a tangible impact on business success and needs to be managed just like any other business strategy.”

Coleman began her career as an intern with the New Jersey Nets, where she worked for Willis Reed, NBA icon and general manager of the team. Reed, who died March 21, 2022, left an impact on her. “He was a wonderful human being and a mentor,” she said.

Coleman, who is married to retired NBA player Derrick Coleman, who played for the Nets, also learned about being an NBA spouse from Reed and his widow, Gale.

Odneal guides a group of 12 executives located around the country in the department that launched a year ago. “I lead the design and implementation of financial solutions that set up minority-owned businesses for effective growth, development and sustainability,” she said.

Citing numbers from the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Odneal said minority business enterprises accounted for more than 50% of the 2 million new businesses started in the U.S. in the past decade, but said fewer than 3% of all U.S. small businesses today are Black owned.

“We can do better than that,”  she said.

Bickers talks of the future, with PNC's revved-up focus on helping businesses grow and at the same time seeing the influx of business and jobs coming to the region fueled by electrification of vehicles and communities.

“We’ve seen a lot of growth in small business startups as well as global investments in the auto industry,” he said. “Hopefully, all of this activity will lead to more job opportunities.”

Contact Carol Cain: 248-355-7126 or clcain@cbs.com. She is senior producer/host of “Michigan Matters,” which airs 8 a.m. Sundays on CBS Detroit. See actor Tom Selleck, booster Emily Gail, AAA Michigan’s Keith Mobley and Visit Detroit’s Claude Molinari on this Sunday’s show. 

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 3 PNC execs help bank go beyond dollars to do good in the community