H. Lee Thacker, Jr., CFP, Senior Executive Vice President, Secretary, Trust Officer and very good friend of Caldwell Trust Company, is celebrating his twenty-year anniversary with us. He has been with the company since 1996, when he moved to Venice from Georgia. The long-time banker and his wife Suzanne—both with extensive financial backgrounds—were looking for a solid, reputable company to handle their investment needs. “We read an article about Roland Caldwell and the company he had founded,” Suzanne said of Kelly Caldwell’s father Roland, co-founder of Caldwell Trust Company. “They were right down the street so we met with Kelly.” Lee said, “I visited as a potential client and was so pleased that I signed on. I’ve never regretted it for a moment.”
After Lee handled a few projects for the company, Kelly invited him to join as a trust officer. A little later, Suzanne designed the company’s first website as an independent contractor and in late 1997 she, too, became a Caldwell employee as compliance coordinator.
Lee had worked in financial industries since 1959, holding responsible positions in South Carolina, Florida and Georgia. Discouraged by constant mergers and acquisitions, he left banking to start his own financial services firm. It prospered and he sold his share to his partner, allowing Lee to pursue his interest in financial planning and investing. Based on their happy memories of Florida, he and Suzanne decided to return to the Sunshine state, settling in Venice.
Lee’s skills in banking and trust are incomparable but there’s much more to this quiet man. His community service is legendary and his decades-long commitment to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America has brought national accolades. In 2013, Maytag® chose him as one of only 25 nominees in the country to be a “Maytag Dependable Leader,” honoring him “in recognition of his demonstrated commitment to dependability and dedication to keeping youth on the path to achieve great futures.”
Lee had been a BGCA board volunteer in Columbia, SC; Orlando, FL; and Atlanta, GA. Since his arrival in Venice he has chaired the Florida Area Council, was honored with the BGCA Medallion award and Council Pacesetter of the Year awards, served as board president, chaired key committees, was named “Dream Maker” in 2010 and subsequently received the Maytag® Award. He is currently a director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County where he, along with others, was instrumental in bringing the Robert and Joan Lee Boys & Girls Club to Venice. He had also served on the board of Venice Theatre, where he was treasurer and past president. Despite his many awards, Lee remains unassuming. When chosen as the B&G Clubs Dream Maker, he said, “I never dreamed of being considered. It never occurred to me that I’d be honored.”
And there’s even more to Lee. He’s a friend. A true, honest-to-gosh, give-you-the-shirt-off-his-back kind of guy who’s always there when you need him. Kelly knows it. We all do. Kelly said, “We have been truly blessed to have Lee Thacker as an employee, a team member, and most of all, our friend.”