West Virginia Executive Spring 2017 | Page 104

Henry M. Kayes, Jr. Chief Operating Officer & Regional President United Bank Inc. MAGGIE MATSKO Photo by Rick Lee. HENRY KAYES, chief operating officer and regional president of United Bank, is a man whose dedication to his customers and loyalty to the companies he has served have propelled him to the top of the banking industry. His career began in 1986 when he was hired as a bank teller for First Union National Bank in North Carolina. “From that job, I learned to be on time and not waste others’ time,” he says. “I also learned to be reliable, deliver on what I commit to and not be all talk and no action.” 102 WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE With those lessons in mind, Kayes began building a lifelong career in the banking industry. He served as the senior vice president and market president for BB&T in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, and in 2001, he became a co-founder of Centra Bank-Martinsburg, where he went on to serve as presi- dent from 2001-2012 and participate in the overall company growth to $1.3 billion in assets. He joined United Bank in 2012, and in his current role, he oversees the business operations of 79 offices in West Virginia; Pennsylvania; Hagerstown, MD;