Something very interesting just happened in Wynwood. Let me give you some hints. It is brand new, on a corner on one of the busiest streets and it never existed in this booming area with over 300 businesses. A bank! And not just any bank; It is called C1, it is from the Tampa Bay Area, it is COVERED in blue-chip art and it is run by two VERY powerful “it” men, Mr. Alan Randolph and Mr. Michael Bernstein.
Greeted by staff friendlier than the norm, you have the immediate feeling like you are entering the Mondrian on Miami Beach; All white Terrazzo floors, white walls and Warhol’s Galore. Did I neglect to tell you that they have pod’s where you sit down for a unique meeting experience with your banking professionals? Once again, very futuristic, not very ‘bank-esque,’ and that’s why I decided to share with my Haute readers.
I sat down in a fashionable pod with Trevor Burgess, the C1 bank CEO, who I had previously met at Nespresso by accident. This lovely man dressed head to toe in Green (Gucci, of course) went from Wall St. to Florida after he decided “I didn’t wan’t to work for Wall St., I decided to work for myself. My partner and I, we wanted opportunities to invest where other people didn’t want to invest. So, in 2008 when the world was ending, we decided to do it. Started in Bradenton, Fl, then we just expanded to a 3rd then 4th, now we’re at number 27, having just opened this location in Miami.”
Now, Burgess’ C1 is the 18th largest bank in Florida. He shares “I’m not a banker, I am an entrepreneur. We want to help you grow. We provide old fashioned banking with high level banking. I brought on Michael Bernstein and Alan Randolph, two men in their respective industries who are well connected and knew their stuff. When I decided to open in Miami, and had to choose what area I looked in Wynwood because there is NO bank here. There were over 300 business’ with no bank! It was easy and smart. We are innovative, technology, design focused and we feel the look and feel of your offices say a lot about your company. We could be expressive here. We could merge art and culture. It’s an office in a bank. Most banks have square tables. We focus on collaborations, hence our round tables, it creates a sense of unity.”
Burgess’ tells Haute Living that his main feedback from clients is “I can’t believe this exists. If you could have dreamt with what a bank could be, we created it. Here you can see and understand who we are as a company.”
More whimsical C1’s will pop up shortly in three locations: Coral Gables, Doral and Miami Beach.
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