Lacey Myers is Director of Talent and Recruitment and Assistant Vice President at Park National Bank. A Licking County native, she’s been with the business for 11 years and in her words, “I love the people, I love the culture, I just couldn’t see myself leaving.”
Lacey’s journey with Park National began when she was 20 years old, working as a waitress at Texas Roadhouse in Newark. One of her guests, upon hearing that she was planning to attend OSU Newark and pursue a career in HR, encouraged her to interview at Park National for an internship.
“I thought no,” Lacey said, “I didn’t want to work in Licking County, I wanted to get out of here and go work for Nationwide or Edward Jones or something.” In response, her customer asked her to “give us a chance.”
After interviewing, Lacey was accepted for a summer internship in Park National’s HR Department, and discovered the guest that invited her to apply was in fact Dan DeLawder, the bank CEO at that time. Despite her initial reservations, Lacey recounts she fell in love with the office culture and, in her words, “the rest is history.”
Lacey would go on to get her Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a focus in Human Resources from Mount Vernon Nazarene with Park’s support. She cites Jessica Altman and Jerrod Gambs at Park National as mentors who invested in her development, personally and professionally. In addition, she shared that the Licking Chamber of Commerce’s Young Leaders of Licking County program as a key element of pushing her out of her comfort zone and helping her build a professional network.
“People have my back here, I have great mentors.” Lacey said, “As I progressed in my career, Park always matched my energy.”
Flash forward to present day, Lacey lives with her family in Hanover. When asked why she chose to stay, she explained a key consideration was starting a family.
“I became really confident in staying in Licking County,” Lacey said, “when I started a family. You see things differently when you have kids, and I feel we have everything we’d ever need here. Living in cities may give you access to stores and shopping, but a rural area has low crime, it’s a safe place, and has a strong community. Licking County, in particular, has a lot of opportunities. We feel this is the best place for us.”
Lacey’s story is just one of many young professionals who decided to “take a chance” on staying in Licking County and flourished. Lacey wished to convey to the younger generations that the county will continue to provide opportunities in the years to come.
“We need young, high-potential professionals,” Lacey said, “Sitting on the bench to take senior leadership roles and move their organizations forward. If you have drive and ambition, and are willing to dig in and invest in the community and a company, they can really help you grow and move into a leadership and management position.”