Leadership

Phone: 919.534.7400
Bob Hatley, President and CEO, founded Paragon Bank in 1999. The company has grown from $15 million in assets in 1999 to more than $1.4 billion today. A native of Concord, Hatley received his Bachelor of Science in business administration from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. For the next 14 years, he served with Wachovia Bank as a field representative, a credit manager, a branch manager and city executive. From 1988-1998 Hatley worked with Peoples/Centura Bank, serving the last four years as Regional Market Manager of the Wake County commercial market.Triangle Business Journal wrote that he “led the Triangle office of Centura in its sales-oriented push” and he was “a popular manager, even in changing times.” Hatley, who was a finalist for the Carolinas’ 2004 and 2005 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards, is known for putting together a highly talented and motivated staff committed to serving the client. “If we make our clients successful, then we’ll be successful,” he said. He was named 2008 Carolinas Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Financial Services.Hatley has been involved in community service for many years, previously serving as chairman of the board of the Cary Chamber of Commerce. He is also past president of the Cary Rotary Club and past director of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, Hospice of Wake County, Wake Med Foundation and North Carolina Chamber. He served as Chairman of First Tee of the Triangle in 2014 and is the past Chairman of the foundation board of the Cary Rotary Club and past Chairman and board member of the Leadership Council of the WakeEd Partnership. In addition, he served on the Board of Visitors of Appalachian State University.He currently serves as the 2015-2016 Chairman of the North Carolina Bankers Association. He was also appointed by Gov. Pat McCrory to serve a four-year term on Appalachian State University’s Board of Trustees. In addition, he currently serves on the Leadership Council of the WakeEd Partnership. He is also an active member of the Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church in Cary where he is a past Elder.

He has two daughters, Lauren and Paige, who both live in Charleston, S.C. His wife, Carol, has two children, Tanner and Cameron from a previous marriage.

Phone: 919.534.7373
Matt Davis, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Paragon Bank, has more than 24 years of experience working in banking and finance, the last 17 of which have been with Paragon Bank. His areas of expertise include overseeing day-to-day operations within the bank, as well as credit administration, marketing, audit and compliance. He previously served as the Chief Credit Officer for the bank and as well as a lending officer. Prior to joining Paragon Bank, Matt worked as a corporate banker in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a marketing emphasis on operating companies with revenues between $10 million and $100 million in revenue. A career change took him to work for Bob Hatley at Centura Bank in Cary, North Carolina, where Matt focused on lending to commercial businesses and real estate as a commercial account officer. In 1999, Matt left Centura Bank with Bob Hatley to start Paragon Bank, and has been with the bank since that time. Matt has always enjoyed working in the community and helping provide ways for it to grow and improve. He was inspired to pursue banking because that particular industry plays an integral role in providing a viable workforce and good business, which increases the standard of living, benefitting all members of the community.Outside of the office, Matt’s involvement has included the Rotary Club, Community Investment Corporation of the Carolinas, WakeEd Partnership, and A Place At the Table. He has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, and has served as the vice president and a board member for the Risk Management Associates local chapter. He has also served as an assistant scoutmaster for the local Boy Scouts of America troop. Matt has also been appointed to serve on the board for Transitions LifeCare. A North Carolina native, Matt grew up in Louisburg and attended NC State University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in management and his Master of Science in management. He lives in North Raleigh with his wife of 21 years and their three children.

Phone: 919.534.7404
As the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Paragon Bank, Steven Crouse is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day financial processes of the bank, as well as focusing on the strategy behind budgets, planning, forecasts, contract review, developing policies, asset liability management and vendor relations. With more than 23 years in the industry, Steven is a great asset to Paragon Bank and all of its clients. Prior to becoming Paragon Bank’s CFO more than nine years ago, Steven spent eight years at McGladrey & Pullen, where he worked in both the audit and tax divisions, rising to the position of manager, focused primarily on financial institutions and their clients. In 1998, Steven became the controller at Capital Bank, which at the time was a $90 million startup. He assisted the bank in forming its holding company and with its SEC registration, as well as taking it through four acquisitions while being responsible for all public reporting. He was Capital Bank’s interim CFO for nine months before joining Paragon Bank in early 2005 to start the finance department, which had previously been outsourced.
Steven is a CPA and an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants (NCACPA). He is a member of numerous North Carolina CFO and bank CFO peer groups. In the community, Steven has been an active Cub and Boy Scout leader, including five years as a Cub Master for a pack with 110 cubs. He joined the Occoneechee Council board of directors seven years ago and spent the past two years as the director of finance, also serving on the executive committee, the investment committee, the finance committee and the audit committee (Ex-Officio). He has been awarded numerous leadership awards for his service with the Boy Scouts of America, and is an Eagle Scout himself. Additionally, he served on the board for The First Tee of the Triangle, where he was treasurer and part of the executive committee and he is still on the board for Junior Achievement of Eastern North Carolina where he is also treasurer. For his active involvement in the community, he was selected by Triangle Business Journal as the 2013 Triangle CFO of the Year.
A native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Steven attended NC State University, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in accounting and business management.

Phone: 919.534.7436
An industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience, Brian Reid leads Paragon Bank’s area sales teams and serves as an advocate for Triangle market activities. He began his career in banking, in Cleveland, Ohio, for one of the nation’s top ten largest institutions. In January 2001, Brian joined Paragon Bank as a commercial banker responsible for developing business with commercial and industrial owner-operated companies in the Wake County area. In the fall of 2012, he moved into his current role as Triangle Market President.A very active member in the community, Brian is the vice president of the economic development board for the Town of Cary, and sits on Board of Directors for the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and o serves on several YMCA of the Triangle committees. He previously served as the past chairman of the board for the Cary Family YMCA and as a member of the executive board for the YMCA of the Triangle. A member of the Cary Rotary Club, Brian has served as its sergeant of arms for more than 15 years. He has also previously served on the Cary Chamber of Commerce’s executive board, as its treasurer, and as past chairman of the board of directors, vice chair of membership and vice chair of business services. He is currently serving with the American Heart Association as chairman of the live auction for the 2016 Heart Ball and also with Tammy Lynn Center as the Endowment Campaign member. Brian has received the Triangle Business Leader Movers and Shakers award, the Cary Citizen of the Year award, the Wake County Commissioners Volunteer of the Year award and Triangle Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Leadership award.Additionally, Brian is an active volunteer and parishioner at St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church in Cary, North Carolina. He is a role model in his children’s lives, having coached both boys’ and girls’ soccer and basketball teams, and serving as a board member for the Capital Area Soccer League (CASL).Brian earned his Bachelor of Science in finance from The Ohio State University, and his MBA in finance and marketing from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management. He and his wife, Cheryl, make their home in Cary with their five children.

Phone: 919.534.7446
Rebecca McClain is responsible for managing and directing the daily functions of the Paragon Bank’s operations teams to include: IT, deposit, loan and branch operations along with treasury management and project management.She spent the last 27 years in the financial services industry with the most recent 14 years in banking. She joined Paragon Bank in December of 2012 after relocating from Tempe, Arizona, where she served as senior operations manager with Mutual of Omaha Bank. A native of Texas, she resides in Wake Forest, North Carolina, with her husband, Scott.

Phone: 919.534.7385