Cook. The sisters continue traditions learned from their father, Tom Cook Sr., including thank-you notes, birthday wishes, gift wrapping and deliveries.
Some of their traditions have become legendary. Cook remembers Christmas Eve nights when the post office would call with packages that had just arrived.“ Dad would load us in the station wagon with scissors, tape and wrapping paper. We’ d wrap the gifts in the back seat and
deliver them before the holiday. That’ s how we grew up— going the extra mile to make sure customers were happy.”
Custom design is another area of attention. Customers come in with heirlooms or sketches, and Cook’ s jeweler
Sheryl Cook
— known as“ the Wiz”— helps bring their ideas to life. One recent custom piece featured handcarved fish and scales on a wedding band, showcasing the jeweler’ s artistry.
Stories like these explain why Tom Cook Jeweler serves multiple generations. As Sheryl and Vicky prepare to pass the torch to Vicky’ s daughter, Ashley, they already see the next chapter forming.“ Ashley is preparing to take over when Vicky and I retire,” Cook said.“ And her 10-year-old daughter is already saying,‘ When I run the store …’ That makes us proud.”
Sheryl Cook of Tom Cook Jeweler in front of one of their jewelry displays.
Ryan Page and his team at Intracoastal Bank lead with service.
Intracoastal Bank: High-Tech with a Human Touch
For Ryan Page, President and CEO of Intracoastal Bank, customer experience is proactive.“ Customer Service is reacting efficiently; customer experience is anticipating needs,” he said. The bank combines hightech tools with personal relationships, offering digital banking for some and face-to-face service for others— consistently and authentically.
One business client needed to close a loan quickly. Digital tools sped document collection, while decisionmakers’ local knowledge and personal insight allowed them to approve the loan faster than relying solely on technology or human effort.“ The combination of using technology to make the process more efficient while maintaining the human touch allowed us to close the commercial loan much faster than if we relied solely on humans or technology,” Page said.
“ It’ s one thing to say you want a great client experience, but executing on this really comes from our roots as a locally owned bank,” Page added.“ When you ' re part of the community you serve, you can ' t hide behind corporate policies or treat customers like account numbers. I see our banking clients at the grocery store, at my kids ' events, at chamber meetings— that personal accountability naturally drives you to do better.”
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