Pinnacle Financial Partners Adds Veteran Commercial Bankers to Its Upstate Team

New financial advisors served high-level roles at a large, national lender

Pinnacle Financial Partners is adding significant experience and expertise to its team in Upstate South Carolina by bringing Brian Rogers and Chris Fowler on board as financial advisors. They will both serve commercial banking clients from the firm’s office on E. McBee Avenue.

Rogers and Fowler bring 51 years of combined financial services experience to Pinnacle, having served in varied business banking roles at large, national banks. Both come from Wells Fargo, where they have spent the vast majority of their careers.

“Brian and Chris are perfectly in line with what Pinnacle offers in South Carolina,” said Ed Stein, Pinnacle’s regional president for the Upstate. “They have deep roots in the community, having served clients in Greenville, Spartanburg and beyond for more than 20 years each. They have a track record for delivering a personal, community-bank level of service. And they are well equipped to make the decisions that best serve their clients without a lot of hand holding and micromanagement. Our goal is for Pinnacle to be a magnet for bankers just like them who are among the very best in our state.”

Rogers is a 29-year commercial banking veteran who most recently led Wells Fargo’s entire business banking team for the region as the Upstate business banking manager. He was also a two-time market president for Wells, first in Spartanburg and then in Greenville. Prior to that, he was a business banker at Wells and treasury management officer at both Wells and Bank of America. 

“Coming to Pinnacle feels like a return to the reason I became a banker to begin with,” Rogers said. “I have been highly impressed with the culture, leadership, capabilities and approach to serving clients. I look forward to helping this team deliver the Pinnacle experience to the entire Upstate.”

Fowler started his career in 1996 at BB&T as a relationship banker and worked his way up to a branch manager position in just 3 1/2 years. In 2000 he moved to SouthTrust, which later became Wachovia and then Wells Fargo. At those institutions, he served varied roles, most recently as a principal relationship manager.

“The Upstate is filled with successful companies building a strong economy and still has the potential for a lot more growth,” Fowler said. “Pinnacle understands that and is serious about being a part of it. It’s a pleasure to join a strong commercial banking team at an organization that is truly focused on its clients.”

Rogers earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Clemson University. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce and multiple charitable boards, including the Cancer Society of Greenville County, Greenville Technical College Foundation, Charity Ball of Greenville and Accelerate.

Fowler also holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting, which he earned from the University of South Carolina Spartanburg. He currently serves on the board at Susan G. Komen and previously served on the board of regents for Leadership Greenville, where he was a member of class 33. He has also served in leadership roles at the Upstate Fatherhood Coalition, the Community Banker Advisory Council and the Riley Institute at Furman Diversity Leadership Initiative.

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 earned a place on FORTUNE’s 2017 and 2018 lists of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in the U.S., and American Banker recognized Pinnacle as the sixth-best bank to work for in 2017.

Pinnacle entered the South Carolina market in 2017 when it acquired BNC Bancorp. Pinnacle continues BNC’s practice of offering community bank service with the resources and sophistication of a larger firm.

The firm began operations in a single location in downtown Nashville, TN in October 2000 and has since grown to approximately $22.9 billion in assets as of March 31, 2018. As the second-largest bank holding company headquartered in Tennessee, Pinnacle operates in 11 primarily urban markets in Tennessee, the Carolinas and Virginia.

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