Salary: $175,000

Age: 49

Years on the job: three

How he got started: After graduating with a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Massachusetts and a master's degree in business from George Washington University, Michael Dee went to work as a bank examiner for the U.S. Office of Thrift Supervision. He then worked for six years at the former Bank of Baltimore as an assistant vice president in the finance department. He later went to Sandy Spring Bank, first as an analyst and later as a vice president.

Dee began at The Patapsco Bank 10 years ago as its comptroller and chief financial officer. He then moved into the position of senior vice president and three years ago took over the position of president.

Typical day: Dee oversees the community bank, which has four branches in Baltimore County and Baltimore City and about 70 employees.

"We're a small institution," Dee said. "So everyone gets their hands dirty and rolls up their sleeves."

He said much of his time is spent writing and reviewing reports. He also must stay on top of current banking regulations that change often. "We spend a lot of time understanding new regulations and rules as they change to make sure we comply," Dee said.

He has a board of directors he meets with once a month and for whom he must prepare a monthly review. He also often meets with the chairman of the board and committees of the board of directors.

In running the day-to-day operations of the bank, he works closely with his management team, which includes the chief of lending, chief of operations and branches, and chief financial officer. In the spring, he will help put the annual budget together for the bank.

Dee also often meets with customers and potential customers.

Over the past several years, many community banks have merged with or been bought out by large national banks. And many banks throughout the country are struggling with bad home mortgage loans. However, Dee said Patapsco Bank has managed to stay out of the mortgage turmoil.

Still, the bank has faced problems with small businesses not being able to make their loan payments in the wake of the slumping economy. He said the bank attempts to offer flexible solutions and modify loan terms when possible.

While the company has seen deposits grow over the past year, customers are still staying away from applying for new loans.

"Everybody is dealing with the fallout from the boom-bust," Dee said. "These days, there is not a lot of growth and not a lot of [our customers] are looking for loans."

Long history: Founded in 1910 by farmers, the bank is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

Giving: The bank supports the Family Crisis Center of Baltimore County with fundraising events throughout the year. Currently the staff pays $5 to wear casual clothes or Ravens attire on Fridays, with the money going into a fund for the crisis center, an employee-chosen charity.

The good: "Keeping up with things. You're busy, so you're not bored."

The bad: "Letting go when you're not here."

Philosophy on the job: "You want to hire good people and then let them do their job, with oversight."