Bob Welty

West Virginia Market President, Fifth Third Bank

LinkedIn: Bob Welty

By Katie Allie

The path from childhood dreams to banking has been a long one for Charleston native Bob Welty, and his successful career has been the result of a strong work ethic and forward thinking. He began working at the age of 16 and used the lessons he learned from those years to lay the foundation for the example he sets now as Fifth Third Bank’s West Virginia market president. “I learned to work hard and power through long hours,” he says. “I learned to listen, as well as the art of taking what people say and turning that into solutions for what they need.”

After graduating from the University of Charleston, Welty went on to forge a career in banking that spans more than 30 years. He spent a large portion of his banking career with One Valley Bank, and when it was sold, he became senior vice president of BB&T. It’s his role as market president for Fifth Third Bank, though, that he counts as his most fulfilling professional achievement to date.

Welty is as active in his community as he is in his career and is truly passionate about mentoring and seeing businesses in his home state emerge and develop. “I love the role of mentor because I love to coach and see people grow, and I feel strongly that the people at Fifth Third would tell you the coaching they receive is positive and uplifting,” he says. “I have a passion for fostering entrepreneurship and the diversification of business ideas and growth in West Virginia. If you look back at my career, that’s what it’s been all about.”

Relentless determination, optimism, drive and a passion for success for both himself and West Virginia are what Welty says brought him to where he is today and what drives him to give back to his home state. His involvement in organizations around the state cross a variety of industries and needs.

Welty currently serves on the board of directors for St. Mary’s Medical Center Foundation and as vice chairman of the board for the West Virginia Jobs Investment Trust and Mid-Atlantic Technology, Research and Innovation Center (MATRIC). He is a past board member of the American Heart Association, where he previously served as chairman of the annual fund drive. He is a member of the West Virginia Capital Access Program, West Virginia Roundtable and Rotary Club of Charleston and a trustee and elder at First Presbyterian Church in Charleston. He has also served on TechConnect West Virginia’s board of directors and the Charleston Area Alliance’s economic development committee and volunteered with the University of Charleston’s annual business fund drive. He is active with the West Virginia Hospital Association and the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce.

Welty also has a fondness for West Virginia University’s College of Business & Economics (B&E), which is evident in his many volunteer board and committee positions there. In one project with the College of B&E, he assisted fellow board member and private equity expert John Scerbo, who created Up All Night, an event through which students were taught the practical aspects of acquiring a company. The second year of the event, more than 150 students attended the forum.

“These are examples of organizations that make a difference in our state,” Welty says of the groups to which he donates his time. “Making a difference in West Virginia is my passion.”

Welty’s positive attitude has also propelled him to do more in his personal life. As a youth, he once canoed across Algonquin Park in Canada, and as an adult, he is an avid runner and cook who believes strongly in the importance of action. “Jobs, entrepreneurship, education, health and well-being are the makings of a great ecosystem,” says Welty. “‘If it’s to be, it’s up to me’ is a great saying. Relying on someone else to cure our ills is a failed strategy. We must work together to make ourselves great.”

1983 – Began banking career at Kanawha Valley Bank

1991 – Named CEO Producer of the Year for One Valley Bank

1997 – Responsible for utilizing market segmentation and integrated sales tracking to increase sales

2000 – Launched and directed BB&T’s Affluent Market Sales Initiative for financial services officers

2004 – Joined Fifth Third Bank to head the Trust and Private Banking groups for the Ohio Valley affiliate

2005 – Named Fifth Third Investment Advisors Banker of the Year

2007 – Named Senior Vice President of Fifth Third Investment Advisors Group

2009 – Named WV market president for Fifth Third Bank

2010 – Appointed by the governor to the WV Jobs Investment Trust board

2011 – Named to the WV Capital Access Program committee by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and received the Fifth Third Bank Gold Pin Award for exemplifying the company’s core values

2012 – Joined the INNOVA advisory committee and named chairman of St. Mary’s Medical Center Foundation’s board

2013 – Named to WVU College of B&E’s Dean’s Advisory Board and helped launch Up All Night

2014 – Named vice chairman of the WV Jobs Investment Trust board and MATRIC board and served on the TechConnect WV board

2015 – Appointed to the WV Roundtable

2016 – Named vice chairman of the YMCA of the Kanawha Valley Spirit of the Valley Campaign