WGNB Corp. Announces Retirement of the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Appointment of the New Chairman of the Board

Business Wire, Nov 12, 2002

Business Editors

CARROLLTON, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 12, 2002

Joe Whit Walker retires after 30 years of service to the bank

WGNB Corp. (NASDAQ: WGNB), the holding company for West Georgia National Bank, the fifth most profitable bank of its size in the nation according to U.S. Banker, today announced the appointment of W. Thomas Green, Jr. as the new chairman of the board of directors of the holding company and the bank.

Green succeeds long time chairman Joe Whit Walker, who is retiring.

Walker, a Carroll County native, was elected director of West Georgia National Bank in February 1971 and in June 1980 was elected by the board of directors to serve as chairman of the board. In 1983 he was elected director and chairman of the board of the newly formed WGNB Corp. During his 31 years of involvement with the company, total assets have grown from $11,251,408 to $372,539,000; the number of shareholders has increased from 106 to 838 and market capitalization has increased from $1,000,000 to $479,361,592.

"Joe Whit Walker has served as our chairman of the boards with extraordinary spirit and dedication and with a long and enviable list of accomplishments," said L. Leighton Alston, CEO of West Georgia National Bank and WGNB Corp. "His exemplary service and continuing leadership is greatly appreciated at the bank. The momentum generated under his leadership will continue into the future."

While earning a degree in business administration from West Georgia College, Walker began his career in the automobile industry at Walker Motor Company and later embarked into the used car business. He and two partners owned Chalkley Motor Company, which sold Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Cadillac cars. The dealership was then split and Walker became the Oldsmobile-Cadillac dealer. He is now president of Walker Oldsmobile, Cadillac, GMC, Buick, Pontiac, Inc. located on Bremen Road in Carrollton, GA.

When Walker is no where to be found, chances are he's somewhere on his 155 acre farm. He raises registered Polled Hereford cattle along with all the hay and corn for cattle feed.

Walker is a dedicated man both professionally and religiously. He became a member of Tabernacle Baptist Church in 1956 where he served as a deacon and chairman of the board of deacons. He also served as secretary of one of the adult Sunday school departments and on numerous committees in the church. Walker was a member and chairman of the Hospital Authority of Tanner Medical Center in Carrollton and chairman of the Tanner Medical Foundation. He has served as director of the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association and is past director of the Carroll County Livestock Sales Barn and the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce.

Walker and his wife of 47 years, Katherine, have two grown children, Greg and Wanda, and five grandchildren.

Green, a member of the boards of directors of the bank and holding company since 1988, will serve as the new chairman. He is chairman and CEO of Greenway Medical Technologies, a software company that designs computer software applications for physicians' offices. Prior to his tenure at Greenway Medical Technologies, he was president and CEO of Greenway Corporation, a software company he founded in 1994. For more than 20 years, Green owned and operated an automotive parts retail business with stores in Georgia and Alabama.

"Tommy brings a strong track record of thought leadership, strategic planning and business management to this board position," said Alston. "He understands the industry and people we serve and will become a valuable asset in our company's growth."

Green is an active member of his community. He is the chairman of the Tanner Medical Foundation, a board member of the State University of West Georgia Foundation, past president of Carrollton Rotary Club and Sunset Hills Country Club, past director of the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce and was an active in the organization of Carroll Tomorrow. He is also a recipient of the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce's 2001 Small Business Person of the Year Award.

Green is a member of the First Methodist Church in Carrollton where he has been an active member of the administrative board, past chairman of the Staff Parrish Committee and Sunday School teacher for 25 years. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in general business from the University of Georgia. Green and his wife Betty have three children and one grandchild.

About WGNB Corp.

WGNB Corp. stock is traded on the NASDAQ Small Cap market under the symbol WGNB. West Georgia National Bank has seven full service locations in Carrollton, Bowdon, Villa Rica and Douglasville. The bank currently has assets of $372,000,000.

For more information about West Georgia National Bank or WGNB Corp., visit the companies' Web site at www.wgnb.com. Interested parties may contact Steven J. Haack, chief financial officer, via e-mail at shaack@wgnb.com or at WGNB Corp., P.O. Box 280, Carrollton, Georgia 30112 to request a prospectus.

Except for historical information contained in this press release, the matters discussed consist of forward-looking information under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The accuracy of the forward-looking information is necessarily subject to and involves risk and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking information. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions, competition and other factors included in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.