Sam McCard.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — It’s no secret many businesses took a hit from COVID-19. From completely shutting down, to scaling back services, to going online due to staffing difficulties resulting from employees or their families testing positive, there have been no shortage of challenges faced by businesses due to the pandemic.

The Payroll Protection Program (PPP) offered welcome relief, South Georgia Banking Company said in a press release, but some businesses found roadblocks or a lack of engagement at their bank. 

SGBC, on the other hand, streamlined the process and worked not only with its own customers but also with businesses who banked elsewhere but couldn’t get the help they needed, the release said. The result: 1,102 PPP Loans were processed by South Georgia Banking Company. 

“Not only did our staff help existing business customers apply for PPP loans, they were able to assist many businesses who encountered unenthusiastic responses from their own banks,” said Sam McCard, president of South Georgia Banking Company. “I’m so proud of the way our lenders jumped in with both feet to learn how to best process PPP loans and stayed on top of the ever-changing rules and guidelines. They understood the how critical PPP assistance was to our local businesses and did everything in their power to process the applications so these people could keep the doors open.” 

South Georgia Banking Company’s commitment to community impact came to full fruition during the different rounds of the PPP program, the press release said.  

“We had the opportunity to truly serve our customers and businesses in our area by fully embracing PPP and developing an internal structure around the guidelines to meet the needs of our community,” McCard said. 

South Georgia Banking Company has locations in Omega, Tifton, Moultrie, Ashburn, Cordele, Vienna and Sylvester. Learn more at SGBCOnline.com.