Branch Bank & Trust Endowment

The Branch Bank & Trust Endowment was initiated in 1996 by Ernie Ward, who at that time was the senior vice-president and commercial market executive for Branch Bank & Trust (BB&T) in Johnston County. Since just after the Civil War, the home-grown banking institution has sought to strengthen economic development in North Carolina and aboard, and its investment in the scholarship endowment serves as an example how the institutions invests in the community.

Through Ward’s volunteer involvement at Johnston Community College as a JCC Foundation board member, he was able to see, first-hand, the incredible need for scholarship support. “We step in and try to help people who really want to improve themselves,” said Ward in an interview with the Smithfield Herald.

BB&T is one of the largest financial services holding companies in the U.S. with $221.6 billion in assets and market capitalization of $38.9 billion as of December 31, 2017. Building on a long tradition of excellence in community banking, BB&T offers a wide range of financial services including retail and commercial banking, investments, insurance, wealth management, asset management, mortgage, corporate banking, capital markets and specialized lending.

Pictured: Ernie Ward