Pinnacle Financial Partners Announces De Novo Start in Atlanta with Rob Garcia as Market President

Veteran local leader brings a new bank to Atlanta

Pinnacle Financial Partners is entering the Atlanta market with veteran bank leader at the helm of its de novo startup. Cobb County stalwart Rob Garcia joins Pinnacle today as the firm’s Atlanta president.

Garcia will immediately begin building a team of experienced financial professionals to serve commercial, small business and personal clients. The process is underway to identify a location for the first Pinnacle office in Georgia.

“The timing for our entry into Atlanta is perfect, and we’ve handpicked the perfect person to lead it,” said M. Terry Turner, Pinnacle’s president and CEO. “Rob is one of Georgia’s top banking professionals and fits our unique culture like a glove. He’s been part of two successful bank startups, and you’d be hard pressed to find someone with deeper roots in the business community here.”

Garcia comes to Pinnacle from Synovus, where he was a division CEO for its largest area: metro Atlanta and northwest Georgia. He began his career in financial services in 1986 and has built a strong track record in commercial banking, including both C&I lending and commercial real estate.

His history of community service and leadership are equally impressive. Garcia serves as a board member and former chair of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, board member and immediate past chair of Cobb Competitive EDGE (Economic Development for a Growing Economy) and holds numerous other board positions and awards.

“I’m honored to introduce Pinnacle to Georgia,” Garcia said. “One need only look at the firm’s history and reputation to see what we will add to the marketplace. Terry and his partners founded this company at a time when Nashville had lost its largest hometown bank. Atlanta is going through a similar disruption right now. We are ready for a bank that will be locally focused and honor local commitments. Pinnacle is a challenger brand built on a community bank approach to service and advice, no matter how big the client or the transaction. That’s what we need and what drew me to help lead the charge.”

Atlanta is now Pinnacle’s largest market in terms of population size (5.9 million), GDP ($385.5 billion) and a number of other economic factors. According to FDIC data as of June 30, 2019, 85 banks in the Atlanta MSA hold $177.2 billion in local deposits.

“It goes without saying that the potential here is monumental,” Turner said. “We’ve successfully battled the big banks in every market we serve, so the competitive landscape of Atlanta is not new to us. We are experienced at taking top talent and market share from major players because we are a people-centric alternative to the impersonal service they offer. It’s always been our model, and we plan to replicate it here in Georgia.”

This growth adds a fifth state to Pinnacle’s footprint and expands its reach in the Southeast. As in the 11 other major markets Pinnacle serves, the Atlanta team will operate as a local bank with local leadership and decision-making. Additional hiring announcements and other developments are expected in the first quarter of 2020.

 

About Rob Garcia
Rob Garcia serves as Pinnacle Financial Partners’ Atlanta president. Before he joined Pinnacle in 2019 to lead the firm’s de novo entry into Atlanta, Garcia was responsible for Synovus’ largest division, which includes metro Atlanta and northwest Georgia, as its division CEO.

Garcia began his financial services career in 1986. He has extensive commercial banking experience with a concentration in commercial real estate and C&I lending. Garcia joined Bank of North Georgia as a regional market president in 2006 through its merger with Riverside Bank. In 2010, he led a team of commercial real estate bankers in growing and managing the division's extensive CRE portfolio. Garcia was promoted to president and chief operating officer in 2011, and in 2013 he became president and chief executive officer of Bank of North Georgia (now Synovus).

He is a graduate of Auburn University.

Garcia is a very active leader in Cobb County and metro Atlanta. Garcia serves as a board member and immediate past chair of Cobb Competitive EDGE (Economic Development for a Growing Economy). He also is a board member and former chairman of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce. Garcia serves on the boards of the Atlanta Regional Commission (District 13), Action Ministries, the Council for Quality Growth and the Atlanta Police Foundation. He is a recipient of the 2015 Mack Henderson Public Service Award, presented by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce for outstanding commitment to building a better quality of life for citizens of Cobb County.
 

About Pinnacle
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 2019 deposit data from the FDIC. Pinnacle earned a spot on FORTUNE’s 2019 list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For^® in the U.S., its third consecutive appearance. American Banker recognized Pinnacle as one of America’s Best Banks to Work For seven years in a row.

The firm began operations in a single location in downtown Nashville, TN in October 2000 and has since grown to approximately $27.5 billion in assets as of Sept. 30, 2019. 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.