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Banks in Wilson County start TennCommUNITY to help small businesses promote during pandemic

Posted at 6:11 AM, Aug 26, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-27 19:52:56-04

LEBANON, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nine banks with a presence in Wilson County are behind an initiative to support small businesses during the pandemic.

TennCommUNITY is an initiative created to help businesses in the county advertise, market themselves and network. It is free to join.

"Some of them don't have the dollars necessarily to promote and we have a network to be able to push their story along," said John McDearman of Wilson Bank & Trust.

The banks sponsoring TennCommUNITY are Bank of Tennessee, CedarStone Bank, F&M Bank, First Bank, First Freedom Bank, Liberty State Bank, Pinnacle, Southern Bank of Tennessee and Wilson Bank & Trust.

"We may be competition on the streets, but when it comes to the small business, it only made sense because they give so much to us," said Lee Campbell of Pinnacle Financial Partners. "The small businesses are the first ones who put their names on the back of softball shirts. They're going to have advertisements in the outfield and provide free food for kids' soccer tournaments. They are really truly our family and friends and next door neighbors and they need us."

More than 130 businesses are working with TennCommUNITY, according to the Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce.

On TennCommUNITY.com, businesses can share their special offers.

"We're giving [people] a one stop shop," said Melanie Minter, of Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce.

The campaign to benefit small businesses will continue through the end of 2020.

"Their bottom line in some way will be impacted," said McDearman. "Our adage has been be for one what you hope you can do for everyone."

A previous version of this story listed Bank Tennessee instead of Bank of Tennessee. That has since been corrected.