There’s no place like home, and that’s why newly appointed Regions Bank Branch Manager Kiel Odom came back to Andalusia.

Odom, who has worked for Regions Bank since 2002, said he and his wife, Katie Mathews Odom, are both graduates of Andalusia High School.

Odom said he began working with the company while a student at Troy University as a part-time customer service member.

“I left the bank after graduation and tried to find a job in Montgomery,” he said. “We moved to Montgomery, and my wife is an accountant.”

Odom said when he was unable to find a job in Montgomery, he returned to his previous Regions position in Troy. It wasn’t long before he was promoted to Troy’s assistant manager.

Odom said he commuted from Montgomery to Troy for a while before he was asked to apply to manage one of Regions Montgomery branches.

“We knew one day that we would want to have children,” Odom said. “And it was important to us to live near our families. So we started looking for a way to get back home.”

Odom said his wife soon got an opportunity to work for a local accounting firm, and the couple returned to Andalusia. He then transferred to the Brewton bank branch, and it was a drive he made every day for three years.

“In late 2010, I received word that the branch manager position was open in Evergreen,” he said. “I was in Evergreen from Jan. 3, 2011, until April 23.”

Opportunity once again presented itself when Virginia Lowman, Andalusia’s assistant branch manager, retired earlier this year. Nancy Cole took Lowman’s place, which opened up the branch manager position – and a way for Odom to make his way back professionally to Andalusia.

“I’ve loved every moment,” he said. “The people here are fabulous. It’s home. Everywhere I’ve been I’ve always had a stake in the community, but now it’s a heartfelt stake.

“I look forward to helping develop the community. Andalusia has a lot to offer,” he said. “It has the small-town, family-driven feeling, which is why we came back here to raise our family, but it’s also progressive enough to grow economically. My goal is to be a part of it.”

The Odoms became parents last September to Mathew Palmer Odom.

Odom is the son of Gary Odom and Cindy Odom and the son-in-law of Dean Mathews and Julia Mathews.