Pinnacle Financial Partners has hired veteran banking leader Tom Crockett as Regional President to build a presence its newest market, Louisville, KY.
Crockett joins the firm from Old National Bank, where he was responsible for the development of expansion markets, and previously served as the Market Executive and Regional Manager of Kentucky banking at Wells Fargo. He will work from a temporary office, with plans for a permanent space in late 2022 or early 2023 and Pinnacle’s first full-service office in Louisville sometime in 2023.
“This is a rare opportunity to start from the ground up and build the bank we want our city to have,” Crockett said. “We’re putting together a team to serve Louisville, and we’ll also reach into Northern Kentucky, Lexington and even southern Indiana and Ohio. Pinnacle brings a people-first approach to banking along with a model built for local control so we can make decisions close to the client and in the best interests of our community. I’ve spent my entire career in Kentucky, and I’m proud to bring this firm to my hometown.”
Crockett served at Wells Fargo for 12 years and, earlier in his career, was the Managing Director for Corporate Banking in Kentucky at PNC and its predecessor bank National City. At Wells, he worked closely with Sam Belk, now a Senior Lending Officer at Pinnacle.
“Few people know Kentucky banking like Tom,” Belk said. “He’s worked with the business community throughout the state for decades and is bringing that experience to bear for Pinnacle and our clients. This is a good move for our firm, and it’s great news for anyone in Louisville who wants a stronger relationship with their bank. It’s not an accident that ‘Partner’ is in our name because we plan to become close, trusted advisors to a lot of people in this community.”
As Crockett begins serving clients, he will also dedicate a significant amount of time to building his team. He is responsible for recruiting the very best financial professionals in the area to bring Pinnacle’s brand of distinctive service and effective advice to Louisville. As in the firm’s other markets, Crockett and his team will, over time, offer the full line of Pinnacle’s financial products and services locally, including corporate and small business banking, personal banking, wealth management, mortgage, treasury management, trust and more. He will also recruit area credit advisors, operational and administrative support so service can be offered locally.
“Pinnacle is a perfect match for Kentucky because of our unique style of banking,” said Pinnacle Chairman Rob McCabe. “We offer all the sophisticated products and services of a much larger firm with a level of service you normally find only at community banks. Pinnacle was built so every client can have a personal connection at the bank, but our asset size allows us to serve clients at almost any level. It’s a perfect match for this market.”
Earlier in August, Pinnacle announced its first associates and office in Kentucky. Rick Seadler serves as Regional President in Bowling Green, starting with a team of four to serve South Central Kentucky.
Pinnacle began working in Kentucky in 2017, serving clients from Nashville, TN. The firm officially launched its first locally based teams and offices in the state in 2022 by recruiting high-performing teams of bankers to bring Pinnacle into Bowling Green, Louisville and the surrounding areas.