Alasan Camara has been a banking professional for over 20 years. He started his banking career as an instore personal banker and rose through the ranks to become a branch manager. He has been a branch manager for almost 15 years for various banks and has been with Comerica Bank since 2021.
Camara says that helping clients achieve their financial goals is his greatest pleasure.
“I believe in building everlasting relationships with all my clients,” said Camara. My role at Comerica bank as a Small Business Relationship Manager is to help small businesses grow and maximize their potentials by focusing on their financial well-being.”
With August being National Black Business Month, it is an opportunity to recognize the contributions of Comerica bankers like Camara who help Black-owned businesses contribute to the U.S. economy and in promoting diversity and equity.
“I believe that every business that you see out there is there to help their clients. So there’s a lot of misconception that businesses are always just for profit,” Camara continued. “Yes, they need profits to be able to grow and to be able to pay for their overhead. But most of the businesses that I interact with, that I meet regularly, also care deeply about their clients.
“Not only the final profit that they might earn, but they want to make sure that the clients are happy with their products they are treated right. So yes, some misconception or they are just for the money they just for the profits, but many of the business owners do really care for their clients.”
A native of Gambia, a small country in West Africa, Camara immigrated to the United States and started his own business where he assisted other immigrants with business plans and with foreign exchange services.
“Eventually, I started a family and thought to myself, ‘Ok. I need a stable income and health insurance,” Camara explains with a laugh, “So, I pursued a career in the banking industry.”
After working at PNC Bank, Camara started a career with Comerica Bank.
“My favorite core values are One Comerica and The Customer Comes First.” Camara explains, “Those are the two core values that I admire the most. Why? One Comerica means that we are all the same. if you have a client and they have a need. You shouldn’t be saying, Oh, it’s the mortgage department’s responsibility. It’s a small business’s responsibility. You should be able to let the client understand and know that we are no different–we are One Comerica and we take ownership of serving them from start to finish.”
Camara expands, “My second favorite value is The Customer Comes First. We treat customers just like we treat ourselves,” he said. “We always make sure that the needs, the desires, the ones of the customers comes forefront in everything that we do with our customers. Treating those customers right means helping them with their financial well-being and building everlasting relationships with them. That is the core of why every institution that is profitable…is profitable.”
Like many other Comericans, Camara is also an avid volunteer. “I’m at Forgotten Harvest all the time,” he says, adding, “I volunteer at food pantries all the time. I’m about the people, you know, it’s not what you get from the people. It’s what you give out. That was makes us the best of all of who we are.”
In addition to his charitable work and career as a dedicated banker, Camara enjoys spending time with his family. “I enjoy going out with my family from going to our backyard and playing basketball with my daughter and my sons,” Camara said. “We also enjoy going out on picnics or taking them out to Kalahari. I’m a family-oriented man. I care so much about my family. And I deeply, deeply love to volunteer in my community.”
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