Meet Paula Myers

By Emily Kittle

It's safe to say Paula Myers is a go-getter. She's even won an award -- three times -- proving as much. An ambassador with the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce, Myers has been recognized for her ability to bring in new members, retain members and represent the chamber at several events throughout the year. She's received the chamber's Go-Getter Award recipient three times, most recently in February.

"I'm the old person in the group, so I have to keep up with the young girls," she jokes. "I'm honored to belong with the committee to begin with, because you meet a lot of nice people. To me, it's a prestigious award to get."

Staying busy comes naturally for Myers, vice president of consumer lending at Alliance Bank in Cape Girardeau. There was a time when Myers would have predicted retirement by now, at age 67. But those days are long gone. "I don't know if I could fill all my time if I was retired," she said. "I like to stay active and get up and get going every day."

The Cape Girardeau native has worked for financial institutions since she was in high school. "I guess it gets in your blood and you can't stop," she said. "I love my job. You meet new people, and you get to know them personally." Myers has made friends along the way. She says those connections make it easier to sometimes deliver news the customers don't want to hear.

"I always feel like I can tell people the truth and why I sometimes can't loan them money. A lot of people appreciate that I can help them get their credit straightened up," she said. "It's not an overnight fix. It takes a while, but if they stick to it a lot of times when they come back they're in better shape than they were before." Between work and chamber events, Myers' weekdays fill up quickly. But she reserves her weekends for time at home, where she and her husband, Frank, raise golden retrievers and spend time with their granddaughter.