To mark the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, ABA Board Member John Hairston opened the Nasdaq Stock Market today. Hairston is president and CEO of the Gulfport, Miss.-based Hancock Holding Company, whose banks — Hancock Bank and Whitney Bank — have operations concentrated in the Katrina-ravaged areas of New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
“Hurricane Katrina redefined our central Gulf Coast landscape but not our strong spirit and America’s instinctive unity in crisis,” said Hairston. “Our associates brought our core values to life. People and the communities we serve believed in us.”
He added that the Nasdaq ceremony will “honor and thank people across the Gulf Coast, the country, and the world who made a difference for our hometowns and our company. The force of their caring propelled us from one of the region’s bleakest times into one of its brightest eras of opportunity.”
