Jody Bankston

CBL & Associates

By Leah Etling on Mar 22, 2012 in People

Jody headshot If you told a teenage Jody Bankston that he’d grow up to be an expert in business intelligence for a commercial real estate company, and spend free time doing intense CrossFit workouts that would make even a top athlete cringe, he probably wouldn’t have believed you.

“My life has been a little bit strange,” says CBL & Associates’ Manager of Strategic Transformation. Jody tells us that his cool title is really just an alternative to “special projects,” but that he essentially works at the intersection of accounting, IT and property management.

His experience working as a controller, business consultant and at several start-ups, as well as a MBA from Emory University, gives Jody a diverse background that makes him a perfect fit for his role at CBL. He’s based at the company’s headquarters in Chattanooga, Tenn., which also happens to be where he grew up.

One of Jody’s first projects at the company was to develop a data warehousing system that now provides easy access to transaction records and property data. It also makes report writing a breeze. The next step? Taking access to that data warehouse mobile.

Using the BusinessObjects platform and an app called Explorer, Jody told us about how he could easily access information about a Payables check or invoice or a tenants AR balance – while out of the office at lunch and using his iPad. A big fan of Apple’s popular tablet computing device, which he has beta tested extensively for CBL use, Jody says the device has been a good solution for a large company with a small IT department.

“We have to pick a platform that’s as standardized as possible. The nice thing with the iPad is you don’t have to worry about ‘which model, which carrier, which OS,’” he said.

A people person who gets along great with everyone, Jody also leads a totally separate life away from the office – as a reality TV star. He’s part of a group of men who train with Tom Rowland, producer of the TV show Saltwater Experience, and Rowland is also putting together a show about his CrossFit fitness training group.

Rowland lives just down the street from the Bankstons’ and last year, Jody was invited to join the CrossFit group by a friend who participates in the uber-intense running, weight training, swimming, rowing, and strength-building workouts. You can see several videos of the activities the men do each morning at the end of this article. Be prepared to feel like a lazy bum, no matter how fit you are.

Jody’s goal, though, is not to participate in one of the popular CrossFit competitions or compete in a Tough Mudder race – a half-marathon that’s combined with a battlefield-style obstacle course. He has a simpler goal.

“The guys I work out with are truly insane. I’m only partially insane,” he said. “For me, this is about staying healthy for my kids.” Since he started the program 8 months ago, he’s lost 20 pounds and lowered his cholesterol.

CrossFit team and Jody Bankston

“I shuffle at the back of the pack, and (the other guys) are usually heading to their cars when I come in,” he told us. “It does get a little zany. My wife thinks that we age regress and we go back to being 16-17 year old kids.. and it’s kind of true.”