Karon Brown retires after 23 Years with First Southern

First Southern National Bank is only as strong as its team. For the last 40 years, we have been dedicated to finding team members who are collaborative, positive-thinking, and strive for excellence both personally and professionally. Because of this, we often have team members who begin their career with us and stay long enough to retire with us.

Karon Brown is one of those team members.

Karon has worked as a customer service representative and teller for the last 23 years in Muhlenberg County. Karon will officially retire from First Southern on May 19th. We wish her all the best. Before she enters the world of retirement, we want to share a little bit about Karon and who she is.


Karon, tell us a little bit about yourself…

My name is Karon Brown. I have been married for almost 47 years. We have two adult children and 3 wonderful grandchildren. We are Muhlenberg County natives. We attend Second Baptist Church in Greenville. I am active in the Daughters of the American Revolution. I enjoy genealogy, target shooting, sewing, painting, and all kinds of crafts.


Tell me about your time with First Southern and your role as a team member.

My banking career started with my employment here. I was hired as a CSR and that has been my primary job for the past 23 years. It has been the perfect job for me. I tell folks all of the time. I get to talk to people all day long, be helpful and friendly, and FSNB pays me to do that. I don’t know who got the better end of the deal.


What does being a team member mean to you?

Being a team member with First Southern means you are part of a great big family. And that is how they treat you…like family. They pray for you and are here for you when you celebrate the highs and when you are down they will lift you up. I will miss all of you.


What is your favorite memory?

OH wow! Just one memory? If I had to narrow it down to just one…It had to be the time I got a call from Jess Correll. I could not imagine why he would call me unless I had done something wrong. He was just calling to tell me he had met some of my customers and that they were very satisfied with my service to them. My customer called me after that to tell me that Jess asked who their contact was at FSNB. He wrote my name down so he would not forget to call me to thank me for taking good care of them. I was impressed that he wanted to do that.


What advice would you give to someone who just started working here?

My advice to anyone who is working here or has just started working here…let First Southern help you to be the best you that you can be. They are a company that encourages you in all aspects of your work life as well as your personal growth. There are opportunities for advancement and programs for personal enrichment. Take advantage of this. You won’t find it with other employers.

What are your plans for retirement?

Some folks have these exciting plans for their retirement but mine are pretty low-key. I want to get into an exercise routine, (lose some much-needed weight), and get my closets all cleaned out. Then, I want to dig right into my favorite hobbies: sewing, painting, and all kinds of crafts. I do have a few camping trips and vacations planned with family and friends.

Thank you, Karon, for dedicating the last 23 years to First Southern National Bank and its Family of Companies. We will miss you and I know your customers at the Greenville branch will miss you as well!