He was a straight A student in high school but got straight Ds during his first semester in college…is a heavy metal and 80s hairband fan…and has an 11-year old son whose 4 x 11 team placed 16th in the nation in the Junior Olympics.
  He is a ‘failed architectural engineering student’ who once ‘idolized’ Donald Trump…was ‘scarred for life watching Jaws’ as a 7-year old…has been named to PBJ’s 40 Under 40…and has taken his family to Disney World a dozen times.

  He also takes partial credit for starting the Ryder Truck tailgating tradition at Penn State (two Ryder trucks, a live band, and a dance floor…you get the idea), worked as an usher at the Marlton 8 movie theater, and lived on a sailboat in Somers Point one summer while working for Allied Steel as a construction worker on a project on Route 9.
  He’s Robert E. Curley, III (Rob to his many friends) and he admits to being “a Star Wars geek,” claims to have been “a great skier,” lettered in volleyball at Happy Valley, and has coached youth football and track for the Marlton Rec Council for the last six years.
  The 41-year old Marlton resident and Cherokee High School grad, who is South Jersey Market President for TD Bank, points out that although he did, in fact, get straight Ds in his first semester as a freshman at Penn State and was on academic probation, “I turned it around and graduated on the Dean’s List.”
  Curley says he was “very shy growing up until my senior year in high school.” Which makes him the antithesis of his wife of 10 years, Joy, whom he describes as “extremely outgoing” and a “gym fanatic,” as well as a “a great mother.”
  In fact, Joy is Curley’s “favorite person. We’ve had our differences and don’t always see eye to eye, but at the end of the day we always stick together and are great friends.”
  The Curleys met in 1994 at Commerce Bank and married in 1996.  “When we met, I was a Commercial Lender and she closed my loans (until we started dating then she was banned from that duty).” After being a stay-at-home mom for a number of years, Joy has rejoined the workforce on a part-time basis at Surety Title.
  “Family means everything,” says Curley, who has been to Disney World with his a dozen times.
  Son Robbie is 11, a 6th grader, and an insulin-dependent diabetic.  In addition to being a standout sprinter, whose 4 x 100 team placed first in the Mid-Atlantic Junior Olympics and in the top 20 nationally, he also plays football (but on the offensive line, if you can believe that).
  Daughter Colette is 9 and a 4th grader, who “is going on 30, loves cheerleading and dance…and is the spitting image of my wife.”
  Two cats, Rocky and Roni, round out the Curley family.
  “My parents divorced when I was 8 years old.  Fortunately, they remained friends, which made growing up in separate homes much easier and helped me develop my strong sense of family with my own kids,” explains Curley. “Both my parents are caring, loyal and hard working.  Although I was spoiled growing up, they both made sure I remained grounded,” he adds.
  “During the late 1980s, I wanted to be a real estate developer as I was a failed architectural engineering student and I idolized Donald Trump,” remembers Curley.  “I worked part-time for a South Jersey developer, the Linpro Company, while attending Penn State.  When I graduated in 1990, the real estate market was in a terrible downturn and my boss at the time (at Linpro) encouraged me to work for Commerce Bank because he was friends with a Board member and believed that it was a company with potential. 
  “At first, I didn’t take the job seriously because my plan was to work at Commerce until the real estate market improved.  Once I realized I was working for a unique company that was about to embark on an incredible growth story, I devoted myself to the Bank and have been here ever since,” says Curley
  Curley was promoted to South Jersey Market President the day TD Bank officially purchased Commerce Bank in March 2008. 
  “This role is similar to being a President of a smaller regional bank with the additional bonus of having a large institution behind me with much more product to offer,” says Curley, who is responsible for 66 stores, government banking, approval of corporate sponsorships and TD Foundation grants, and management of commercial and small business lending teams throughout Mercer, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Cumberland, and Salem Counties.
  “My market contains $7 billion in deposits and $2 billion in commercial/small business loans and we maintain the #1 market share in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties by a large margin,” Curley points out with obvious pride. 
  Curley’s business philosophy is that “we must provide legendary service and convenience to each customer, work hard, and earn respect by exceeding expectations both internally and externally.”
  As for his personal motto, he recalls that “when I was in college, I was a fan of the movie “Dead Poets Society” and the phrase Carpe Diem has always stuck with me.  If I had a motto, that would be it.”
  He adds that “success is not measured by my career or how much money I make.  Being a great father and husband as well as participating in my community and doing my part to make a difference in people’s lives are very important to me.  At the end of the day, I believe all these things are intertwined and if done to the best of your ability, you will feel fulfilled and successful.“
  Curley’s toughest decision was “having to fire someone at work that I very much liked as a person and whom I considered a friend.
  In addition to his lifelong fear of sharks courtesy of Jaws, Curley also admits to a fear of public speaking, notwithstanding lots of coaching assistance provided by his bank and lots of opportunities to take the podium in his role as Market President.
  He counts a number of colleagues as mentors and says “I have been fortunate to work for people who always made me feel like my success was not only important to our organization but to them personally.  I have had the freedom to learn from my mistakes provided I don’t make the same mistake twice.  My mentors have also helped me understand the importance of balance in our lives…balance between career and family, business and pleasure, success and giving back to the community.“
  The most important lesson he has learned says Curley is that “I know what I don’t know.  I observe what other people do right (and wrong), and I listen to people who know more than me.” 
  The person Curley most admires is “my 92 year old grandfather, Allen Thompson.  He has always been a positive influence in my life and has lost his sight in his later years.  He was an avid golfer and loved building bird houses.  Obviously losing his sight has made these hobbies impossible, yet he continues to maintain a positive and happy attitude and is always there to listen.”
  Asked to describe himself in five words, Curley chooses “loyal, resilient, kind, Type-A, and caring.”
  His favorite thing to do (no surprise for this Disney-addict) is “travel with friends and family and his hobbies include golf, coaching youth sports, non-profit board involvement. 
  “I like getting involved with non-profits because it gives me a sense that I am helping to make a difference…and I get to meet high quality people that also help me professionally.
  Curley’s current board involvement includes Family Services of Burlington County, South Jersey Chamber of Commerce, BC2 (Businesses Committed to Burlington County), Friends of MEND (Moorestown Ecumenical Neighborhood Development), Camden County College Foundation, Boys and Girls Club of Camden County, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation/South Jersey Chapter, American Heart Association/Executive Board-South Jersey Heart Walk, and Archway Programs Foundation.
  He has also served on the boards of the Greater Camden Partnership and the New Jersey CARES Institute.
  Curley’s favorite TV show is CSI Miami. As for a favorite book, Curley says “generally, I read business oriented books, however, this past year I did read a book which I enjoyed very much because it reminded me of how I feel about my son Robbie.
  “That book was Letters to Sam by local author Daniel Gottlieb.  This is not a book I would typically read, but I know Mr. Gottlieb from the Boys & Girls Club of Camden County Board so I was intrigued.  From the moment I started, I could not put it down.  It touched me deeply in many ways and is a book I will read again.”
  If Curley could, invite five people (real, but living or dead) to dinner, the five would be:
  •  Ronald Reagan – “I found him interesting and charismatic and thought he was the right President at the right time as he brought our nation together.  I have read a few books about his presidency and although he had flaws, I think he was a great leader.” 
  •  Joe Paterno – “as a Penn State grad and die hard fan, I have to invite him to this dinner.  I read his book, Paterno: By the Book, and it would be fun to hear him tell his stories in person.”   
  •  Pauline Thompson – “my Grandmother who died from cancer several years ago – she was always there for me and was one of my biggest supporters.  She never complained when I would show up with 10 friends to sleep at her house in Ocean City and she also loved Ronald Reagan and Joe Paterno so she has to be there.”
  •  Donald Trump – “as a wannabe real estate developer back in high school and college, he was my idol.  I don’t idolize him anymore, but he has to be admired for his resilience and ability to find success in many lines of business.  He is a great marketer of himself.”
  •  Bono – I have been a U2 fan since the early 1980’s and he seems like a very interesting guy with strong opinions about the world and politics. It would be entertaining to listen to his liberal views relative to the others I invited.”
  And, if he could write it, what would be the epitaph for this successful banker, who once spent a summer at Danzeisen and Quigley “doing everything from shipping & receiving to selling ski equipment, to washing Bill Quigley’s van”?
  Curley’s answer: “Gone, But Not Forgotten!”
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By: By Mike Willmann