Jacksonville’s Premier Kia Atlantic has allegedly been shut down by Bank of America after they decided the dealership had defaulted on its loan. Employees have been protesting since Friday, demanding answers after the bank locked them out of the dealership on Friday afternoon. “I don’t think they have the right to tell us at 4:30 in the afternoon on a Friday to pick up whatever we can as fast as we can and get out of the building,” Kazran said.

According to the dealership’s general manager Eric Kazran, “When we told them we’re not going to shut down, we’re not going to stand up for it, they froze all of our bank accounts, they bounced all of our employee checks,” Kazran said.

This is a tough situation, in which 100 people have lost their jobs. But is Bank of America really to blame here? Should banks be held in a bad light for mitigating their risk and seizing assets when borrowers cannot pay? Perhaps it’s not what they did but how they did it. Often times people have the expectation that large corporations should be merciful and socially helpful to their respective communities. But how far should that go? At the end of the day we have to respect free markets and the role that competition plays.

Yet on the other hand, wasn’t it just months ago that Bank of America was over-leveraged and seeking bailout money from the U.S. federal government? Would they be outside congress protesting if we had let the free markets have their way with one of the world’s largest banks? If America is becoming a nation of handouts and “redo’s” then perhaps Premier Kia Atlantic should be extended the same couresy.

Overview: Awarded position of Student Director of Marketing for the Jacksonville Student University Center. Focused majority of time on promoting newly designed campus movie theater. Oversaw and produced all promotional marketing and advertising materials.

Testimony: “Grant demonstrates exceptional initiative and emotional intelligence. Great organizer who communicates effectively with faculty, staff, and business community leaders.”

-Joseph Mccann, Dean & Professor of Management, Davis Colege of Business

Description: Worked with Prudential sales office to integrate corporate marketing initiatives. Main objective was and is to increase market penetration in under served markets in the Jacksonville, FL community.

Testimony: I was fortunate to work with Grant when he interned with my company.  From the first day he walked in, I know I had picked the right candidate for the job.  He excelled on projects with limited information, and almost no supervision.  I could trust that any assignment would get done correctly and on time.  When he applied for the internship the second year, I was relieved to know I didn’t need to go through the interview process again — I hired him again without question.  Grant (was and) will be a valuable addition to any team.  One suggestion:  Don’t try to hold him back.

-Donnie Salter, CLU, LUTCF, CLTC.