How any business leader can create an atmosphere of competitiveness for exceptional growth When Ray Davis took over the local 40-person South Umpqua Bank in 1994, many people in the industry poked fun at his insistence that employees answer the phone with a cheery «World's Greatest Bank.» Eleven years, $7 billion in assets, and 128 branches (or « bank stores» in Umpqua lingo) later, the moniker seems quite apt. Other banks scratched their heads when Davis sent his tellers to Ritz-Carlton to...
