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American City Business Journals Apr 28, 2000LEIGH PROP
Vice President Fifth Third Bank
Age: 38
Leigh Prop's story is one of the self-made kind.
Since starting as an operations associate at Fifth Third Bank at the company's downtown headquarters in 1983, Prop has moved up the ladder at Cincinnati's largest bank. After a year, she was operations manager of the bank's depositors service. In 1986, she was promoted to assistant vice president and operations manager in the Columbus market.
"I was in the right place at the right time," she said. There were a lot of opportunities, for people who wanted to take them."
Three years after going to Columbus, Prop was brought back to the Tri-State and named vice president and regional manager for the fast-growing Northeast corridor.
"I enjoyed the affiliate world, but I knew Cincinnati was where I wanted to end up," she said. "I hadn't done retail at all and I thought it was a good opportunity."
Prop has taken advantage of her opportunity. Starting out with a network of 14 offices, she is today one of four area regional managers presiding over 26 branches employing some 140 people from Reading to Lebanon.
Since 1990, Prop has been actively involved in Starfire, an organization that works to improve the fives of mentally and physically handicapped young adults. Four years ago, she received the group's Shining Star Award.
Elsewhere in the community, she has been active with the United Way, in Fifth Third's Fine Arts Campaign and the Mount. St. Joseph Fund Drive. She also teaches Sunday school to 4-year-olds in her parish.
In both her professional and community service spheres, Prop said passion drives her actions.
"If you believe in something, it's much easier to sell it" she said.
Prop is a graduate of Miami University. She lives in Loveland with her husband, Vince, and their two daughters, Lauren, 8, and Jamie, 5.
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