Pinnacle Expands in Louisville with the Addition of Four Financial Services Experts

Pinnacle Financial Partners in Louisville has added four more respected industry veterans to the firm. Financial Advisors John Allen, Sam Castle and Chris Hesler and trust and wealth advisor Steven Blevins will expand Pinnacle’s ability to deliver distinctive service and effective advice to even more in this community.  Collectively, they bring more than 70 years of financial services experience to the firm.

“Everyone in this group brings experience and expertise, which is exactly why they are joining our team,” said Tom Crockett, regional president. “Pinnacle has seen exceptional growth in this community, and it is a testament to the dynamic talent drawn to our unique culture. Our decentralized organization gives veterans like these the flexibility to do what they do best, advise and serve their clients.”

Allen joins Pinnacle from U.S. Bank, where he most recently served as a senior health care banking relationship manager. He has 28 years of experience working in the financial industry in the Louisville and Kentucky market. He earned his bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Kentucky. John also holds a master’s in health administration. In the community, he serves as a member of Kosair Shriners and is a graduate of Focus Louisville and Leadership Oldham County.

Castle joins Pinnacle from Stock Yards Bank, where he was a division manager responsible for the recruitment, development and performance of a team of relationship managers. He also previously held roles at U.S. Bank. Castle brings 23 years of experience to the firm and holds a bachelor’s from Georgetown College and an MBA from the University of Louisville. He also serves as chairman of the board for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana.

Hesler, joins Pinnacle from PNC Bank, where he was a private banking advisor for PNC Wealth Management. Hesler has 12 years of industry experience and has held multiple roles within PNC over the last 10 years. Hesler earned his bachelor’s from the University of Kentucky.

Blevins, JD, CTFA, has 13 years of financial services experience, serving clients in the areas of fiduciary trust administration, wealth transfer planning, philanthropic planning, and estate settlement. Prior to joining Pinnacle, he was with The Glenview Trust Company where he served as trust principal. Blevins is also a member of the Kentucky and Louisville Bar Associations. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi and his juris doctor degree from the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law and is heavily involved in his community. He serves as a member of the Speed Art Museum Board of Governors and is a board member for CASA of the River Region and the Peterson-Dumesnil House Foundation.

Pinnacle Financial Partners provides a full range of banking, investment, trust, mortgage and insurance products and services designed for businesses and their owners and individuals interested in a comprehensive relationship with their financial institution. The firm is the No. 1 bank in the Nashville-Murfreesboro-Franklin MSA, according to 2024 deposit data from the FDIC. Pinnacle is No. 11 on FORTUNE magazine’s 2024 list of 100 Best Companies to Work For^® in the U.S., its eighth consecutive appearance, and was recognized by American Banker as one of America’s Best Banks to Work For 12 years in a row and No. 1 among banks with more than $10 billion in assets in 2024.

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.

The firm began operations in a single location in downtown Nashville, TN, in October 2000 and has since grown to approximately $52.6 billion in assets as of Dec. 31, 2024. As the second-largest bank holding company headquartered in Tennessee, Pinnacle operates in several primarily urban markets across the Southeast.

Additional information concerning Pinnacle, which is included in the Nasdaq Financial-100 Index, can be accessed at www.pnfp.com.