First Carolina expansion progressing toward April completion

First Carolina Bank’s headquarters off North Winstead Avenue is undergoing a second major expansion expected to be complete by April, with the bank’s chief operating officer crediting a significant part of the growth to the bank’s emphasis on personalized service.

Mayor Sandy Roberson is CEO of HealthView Capital Partners, which provides investments in companies and organizations, and he has a significant number of shares in First Carolina.

Roberson also said he, as a consumer, does business with larger banks.

“I will say this: The larger the bank, the more frustrating and difficult the service is,” Roberson said. “In fact, it’s gotten to the place I’m really, really, really considering moving all my banking relationships to smaller banks, just because the service level is frustrating at best to deal with.”

Of First Carolina, Roberson said, “Specifically, I think they’re able to grow because they’ve found a need and niche in the marketplace. They do great customer service. They treat everybody as if they’re family — and they’re making good financial decisions with very little debt, if any, on the balance sheet.”