Still No. 1: Pinnacle Financial Partners is the Top Workplace in Knoxville

Pinnacle Financial Partners is the No. 1 workplace in Knoxville, as announced by the Knoxville News Sentinel and Energage at a ceremony Wednesday night at Mill & Mine. This is the ninth year the firm has placed at No. 1 in the mid-sized company category out of 10 years participating in the Top Workplaces awards.

Pinnacle also received the Direction Award for being a workplace where associates believe the company is going in the right direction.

“This award means a lot to us, because it’s representative of our unique culture and all the associates that work so hard to live out our values and maintain a place where everyone loves to come to work every day,” said Mike DiStefano, the firm’s regional president in Knoxville. “I am so proud of our team and all that we have accomplished together over the last 18+ years. We are the best financial services firm for our clients because we have the best people – and we attract and retain the best people by being a great place to work.”

The Top Workplaces list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by research partner Energage, LLC, a leading provider of technology-based employee engagement tools. The anonymous survey measures several aspects of workplace culture, including alignment, execution and connection, among other benchmarks.

One question on the anonymous survey for the rankings was the prompt, “I love my job because…” with answers from Pinnacle associates including:

"Everyone brings a positive attitude to work each day because we all love Pinnacle (and each other) and believe in our mission. I've never worked at a place like Pinnacle where everyone gets along so well. I feel we are one big happy family, everyone from top of the house to individual teammates care for one another. When you are happy at work it flows through to clients."

"I feel like a true part of the whole team. I love how every single position matters just as much as another and everyone is included. I feel seen and cared for. If something is going on in my life or in any of our lives, everyone comes together to make sure you are okay. That is special. I love that you can make a livable wage in a position that many other jobs set an income cap for. I love that I have opportunities to grow and stay in the position that I am in at the same time."

"The people I work with are special and make my job so easy! I get to come to work every day, not because I have to, but because I want to. I am not micromanaged, and I am empowered to do the right thing."

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. 9 on FORTUNE magazine’s 2025 list of 100 Best Companies to Work For® in the U.S., its ninth 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 expanded to East Tennessee in 2007 by hiring a team of local financial services professionals to start an office in Knoxville. Pinnacle now operates five offices in Knox County, one in Oak Ridge and one in Maryville. The firm is the fourth-largest bank in the Knoxville MSA in terms of deposits. The firm was recognized as the No.1 Top Workplace, mid-size category by Knox News in 2025 for nine of the last 10 years.

The firm began operations in a single location in downtown Nashville, TN, in October 2000 and has since grown to approximately $54.8 billion in assets as of June 30, 2025. 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.