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Banking on Relationships - Keith Jackson & State Bank Lenders Amira & Brandy 

For the first 20 years of his career, Keith Jackson built a successful career in construction and heavy equipment, working in sales and management for some of the biggest companies in the industry.

By the time he decided to venture out on his own, he had the knowledge, experience, and a compelling business plan. What he needed was someone to believe in his vision.

Despite his long history of success, Jackson heard a lot of “nos.”

“It is extremely difficult trying to get started, even when you have money in the bank - more money than you’re trying to borrow,” Jackson says. “For a small business, it’s an excruciating process.”

Then, a friend introduced him to State Bank.

“The State Bank president at the time was the only person who believed in what we did,” Jackson said. “They were willing to gamble and give us our loans for our equipment. When State Bank took a leap of faith on us, I didn’t have a dime in their bank.”

Jackson founded his business, 24/7 Onsite Cameras, in 2010. The company builds surveillance systems available for lease/purchase for construction sites, material & equipment yards, electrical substations & parking lots.

At first, he ran the company out of his house; today they have offices in Columbia, Ill., and Leesburg, Fla.

“I bought my first six units from another company out of Texas, then after that we had someone build 12 units,” Jackson said. “Then after that we built all our own. We run over 400 systems now.”

24/7 Onsite Cameras now has 13 employees and recently built a large shop at their Columbia headquarters.

Jackson, who lives in Columbia, still does all his banking at State Bank.

“Whatever I need, they're there,” Jackson said. “There’s still a human element to the banking industry. If you want to be successful, you have to have that belief in your customers.”

Jackson now works most often with Brandy Ebers, Chief Lending Officer at the Lindbergh Branch, and Amira Kujundzic, Vice President and Relationship Manager at the Lindbergh Branch.

“They know us personally, and it’s my true belief that they care about us personally.”

To learn more about how State Bank can help build your business, visit https://www.sbw.bank/Business-Loans or call 618-939-7194 to get started.

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