After 43 years with Rabun County Bank, President Greg Funkhouser will retire at the end of the year.
Rabun County Bank CEO Johnny Mark Irvin joined Funkhouser in making the announcement, noting Funkhouser will continue to serve on the bank’s board of directors following his Dec. 31 retirement.
“Mr. Funkhouser’s emphasis on treating customers by the Golden Rule and in a manner that made their day just a little better than before their visit to the bank is a legacy that will remain with the organization long after his retirement,” Irvin said.
Employees said it is nothing to see Funkhouser vacuuming the lobby throughout the day.
Funkhouser joined the bank in 1979 as a loan collector. After serving in various capacities of increasing responsibility, he became president of the bank in 1991.
In retirement, Funkhouser said he plans to spend more time with his wife Cathee and his grandchildren, as well as adding to his long history of community service through various organizations and causes.
“It has been an honor to serve the residents of Rabun County, and I will always value the relationships and friendships I have formed with the exceptional individuals within our community and the Rabun County Bank family,” Funkhouser said.
Shortly after announcing Funkhouser’s retirement, Irvin and Funkhouser announced the board of directors’ selection of Claude Dillard to succeed Funkhouser as president of the bank.
“After Mr. Funkhouser initially communicated his intent to retire, we carefully considered potential internal and external candidates,” Irvin said. “Mr. Dillard, with 32 successful years with the bank and within the local community in a variety of roles, was the clear and logical choice to successfully lead the bank.”
Dillard joined the bank in 1990 as a management associate working in all areas of the Bank and rose to senior vice president and lending officer in 2000. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia and has furthered his banking education as graduate of the Banking School at the University of Georgia, the Graduate School of Retail Bank Management at the University of Virginia, and the Commercial Lending School at the University of Oklahoma.
With a passion for civics and the local community, Dillard was elected mayor of the city of Dillard in 2021, inspired after 28 years serving as a Dillard City Councilmember. He currently serves as chairman of Forward Rabun, a public/private partnership established to integrate tourism and economic development marketing for Rabun County.
Dillard currently is working from the Clayton office.
