Pinnacle Financial Partners powers recruiting growth engine with 50 new revenue producing team members in 1Q26
Key Terms
treasury management financial
Firm progressing toward goal that drives growth agnostic of macroeconomic factors
“Our growth model is built, in large part, on the strength of our team member recruiting and retention, and this shows we’re continuing the momentum that Pinnacle has built over the last 26 years,” said Kevin Blair, Pinnacle president and CEO. “It’s why we put such an emphasis on investing in our internal culture and why it was essential to keep that culture through our merger with Synovus. Seeing the progress our leaders have made this early into our combination, we feel confident about the road ahead.”
The newest members of the Pinnacle team include two former state banking presidents in
“This isn’t just a numbers game of hitting the target at the expense of quality talent,” Blair said. “Our model is very intentional, looking for happy and successful financial advisors who bring with them strong, long-term clients who will be served better in Pinnacle’s banking environment. With our status as America’s No. 12 Best Company to Work For, we expect more and more of banking’s top performers to be attracted to our way of doing business.”
Recruiting activity was strong in several major markets, including those previously served by only either Pinnacle or Synovus. These are among the 50 revenue-producing team members who came on board in the first quarter.
- Melanie Luck, treasury management advisor in the Mobile area joins the firm with 29 years of experience, most recently at PNC Bank and prior to that, at Wells Fargo.
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Jodi Allen, commercial banker in
Sarasota , has spent 19 years in financial services with Sunwest, Seaside Bank and Trust and BMO Harris Bank. -
Clinton Carter, relationship specialist in
Orlando , brings more than 18 years of banking and loan experience, most recently at NEXA Mortgage. -
June
Denton , treasury management consultant, joins the firm inSarasota , after a four-year stint at Sunwest Bank and brings more than 20 years of previous banking experience including 15 years at BMO Harris Bank. -
Donny Duarte, CRE relationship manager, joins the firm’s South Florida CRE team in
Coral Gables , most recently served at SeaCoast Bank and has 18 years of banking experience from Truist/BB&T, Florida Bank and Regions Bank. -
Diumira Gonzalez, retail market manager in
Weston , brings more than 12 years of experience in financial services, most recently at Ocean Bank. -
Scott McGarry, retail market manager in
Venice , brings 23 years of banking experience, with 18 years at Truist and five years at Republic Bank. -
Brian Rolph, commercial banking manager in
Sarasota , has spent 27 years in banking at multiple banks, including Sunwest Bank, BMO Harris Bank, Branch Banking and Trust Company and SouthTrust Bank.
- Kenneth Margraff, retail market manager in Wilmington Island, brings 21 years of experience in banking and entrepreneurship with three years at TC Federal Bank and 10 years at Truist.
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Samantha Elmankabady, treasury management consultant, joins the firm in
Atlanta after nearly 10 years at Bank of America and seven years at JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America. -
Robert
Evans , commercial banker inAtlanta , has spent 23 years working in financial services, including the past 10 years at Ameris Bank.
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David Krebs, financial advisor in
Louisville , joins Pinnacle from Stock Yards Bank & Trust, bringing nearly 30 years of financial services experience to the firm.
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Brad Thompson, financial advisor in
Raleigh , has more than 20 years of financial services experience, most recently at Dogwood State Bank and previously at Wells Fargo and BB&T. -
Jimmy Smith, trust and wealth advisor in
Winston-Salem , brings 20 years of experience, most recently as a trust advisor at Wells Fargo.
-
Ali Burlage, treasury management advisor in
Nashville , joined the firm from Fifth Third Bank with 14 years of healthcare treasury management experience. -
Mark Ford, financial advisor in
Nashville , brings 20 years of experience in financial services, including previous roles as CFO for musical artist Pitbull and at First Horizon Bank. -
Austin Sanders, trust portfolio manager in
Knoxville , brings 10 years of experience in financial services, most recently at First Horizon Bank. -
Greg Wiel, financial advisor in
Nashville , joins the firm from Franklin Synergy Bank/FirstBank and brings nearly 30 years of commercial real estate expertise.
-
David Merzazada, office leader in
Leesburg , has more than 20 years of financial services experience and joins Pinnacle from Truist. - Carmen Maalouf, COBRA advisor on Pinnacle’s Health & Benefits team, brings more than 20 years of expertise in benefits administration to the firm.
About Pinnacle Financial Partners
Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc. (“Pinnacle”) is a
Pinnacle is an employer of choice for financial services professionals. The firm is No. 12 in the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® in 2026, its 10th consecutive appearance. Pinnacle was also recognized by American Banker as No. 4 among America’s Best Banks to Work For in 2025, its 13th consecutive year on the list, and No. 1 among banks with more than
*As of June 30, 2025, according to FDIC data.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260423087859/en/
Joe Bass
(615) 743-8219
joe.bass@pnfp.com
Tiffany Capuano
(678) 784-7111
media@synovus.com
Source: Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc.