Nick Means

Training & Development Officer, F&M Bank
Assistant Vice President, F&M Bank

Native of Thomasville, NC

Industry: Financial

Nick Means likes living in a college community, and Rowan County is blessed with several — Catawba and Livingstone, both liberal arts colleges; Rowan Cabarrus Community College, and Hood Theological Seminary, a graduate and professional school sponsored by the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AME Zion) and approved by the University Senate of The United Methodist Church.

“You can attend a college event — a game, a play, a concert — numerous times a year and not a lot of people have access to college campuses like that,” he says.

Nick came to Salisbury and Catawba College on football and academic scholarships and started working for F&M Bank before he graduated from Catawba. He’s been at the bank, which he calls “the greatest employer,” since then and will celebrate his 20^th year as an employee this year.

The first thing that he would tell Rowan County newcomers is “to visit F&M Bank and become a client. We are the best bank in the community and if you are connected to F&M, you are connected to the community.”

He would also tell them to “find their passion and lane — then operate there to the best of their ability.”

Out of This World

“By supporting a non-profit that supports a cause that is important to you, you are helping make the community a better place. The potential is out of this world.” he says. “There are some passionate people who work and live here. Rowan County is extremely diverse, and there is something for everyone to get involved with to make our community a better place.” 

Nick works with Man Up Monday, a mentoring program created by Timothy Bates, with men in the community visiting schools and programs to provide life skills to students. “Many students don’t have adults, particularly men, in their lives that they can have conversations with, confide in, eat lunch with, etc., and we try to provide that resource,” Nick says.

He also partners with local schools and colleges to teach Financial Literacy to students and serves on non-profit boards, including the Blanche & Julian Robertson Family Foundation. He says he “absolutely loves” coaching football and basketball at North Rowan High School. “Those kids treat my daughter, Kristina, like she is their little sister and provide her with a large family of big brothers and uncles.”

‘The Kid In Me’

He has two favorite restaurants. “For the kid in me, Hap’s Grill. It’s different; it just tastes good. Me and my college football teammates used to go every Friday. When those guys come to town, they tell me, ‘We gotta go to Hap’s.’ ”

As an “adult professional,” he says, he likes Ivan’s Restaurant. “The environment, the food, and the service are exceptional.”

He also has two favorite outdoor places — the new Bell Tower Green Park in downtown Salisbury and Royal Giants Park in East Spencer. “Bell Tower Green is a beautiful space constructed for our community that anybody can use. 

“The kid in me and the guy who loves the game of basketball likes Royal Giants Park,” he says. ‘I know how important and how rich that park is to the East Spencer community. Being a part of camps, basketball and softball games, cookouts and community events … that’s the place to be.”

The Salisbury-Rowan holiday parade, ‘Tis the Season, is his favorite event because it brings people together. “Rowan County comes together to celebrate the holidays collectively. People are not divided by race, what part of the county you’re from, what school you attended — none of that matters.”

To Nick, Rowan County’s Be an original™ slogan celebrates individuals. “To me, ‘Be an original’ means that you don’t have to follow the status quo. You can create your own lane, do your own thing and be celebrated for it. Even if you’re the only one celebrating.

“Rowan County is a place where the only limitations are those that we, the people, believe are there,” Nick says. “It’s a place filled with historical and cultural gems. Rowan County has experienced success that many places twice its size hasn’t, and our future can be ever better!”