Synovus Bank, a Georgia-chartered, FDIC insured bank, today announced the creation of its Equipment Financing Group, designed to drive revenue growth with small, middle, and large commercial banking customers. The group will be based in Charleston, South Carolina.
“The creation of this team further strengthens our equipment financing line of business and signals our continued commitment to offering a broad range of expertise, products, and services to commercial customers”
John Geist, who serves as President of Equipment Finance, will direct this team of specialized bankers as they provide a wide range of products and services to meet the expectations of Synovus’ current and future commercial customers. He brings more than 30 years of banking experience, with 15 years specifically in the area of leasing and equipment finance. Before coming to Synovus, Geist served as Executive Vice President of Bank of America/NationsBank’s Corporate Banking Group and later President of Leasing and Equipment Finance. He also worked in the Middle East where he managed the Corporate Finance Group for a Bahrain-based bank.
Also joining Geist are Tad Herrin, Bill Orr, and Ricky Mims who have more than 70 years of collective experience in the equipment leasing and financing business. Herrin, Senior Vice President of Business Development, previously worked at Bank of America/NationsBank where he managed one of the largest Corporate Aircraft Groups in the country, and also with General Electric Capital Corp. as a Senior Business Development Officer. Orr will also serve as a Senior Vice President of Business Development. His experience includes previous positions with Barclays, Westinghouse Credit, and Bank of America. Mims was formerly Senior Vice President/Managing Director of Regions Equipment Leasing and joins Synovus as a Senior Vice President of Business Development.
Additionally, Chris Legris has joined the company as Senior Vice President and Asset Manager. Chris was previously with Textron Finance, Bombardier Capital, and Barnett Bank. Working with Legris is Jim Shaw, who was recently hired as Senior Vice President, Documentation and Transaction Manager. Shaw previously worked at Bank of America/NationsBank as well as Global Capital Finance.
The group will continue to add positions in both sales and support areas.
“The creation of this team further strengthens our equipment financing line of business and signals our continued commitment to offering a broad range of expertise, products, and services to commercial customers,” said Curtis Perry, Synovus’ Chief Commercial Banking Officer. “As the economy recovers, the market for this product is expected to experience tremendous growth because it gives business owners a lending alternative for investing in the equipment needed to start and grow their businesses.”