Pinnacle Contributes $25,000 to Support Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville Emergency Response Fund

Pinnacle Financial Partners has contributed $25,000 to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to help with immediate and ongoing needs of those affected by the Smoky Mountain wildfires.

“Like so many, we are devastated about the tragedy that has unfolded in the Great Smoky Mountains,” said Mike DiStefano, Pinnacle’s Knoxville president. “Along with 100 Pinnacle associates who live and work in our East Tennessee locations and the 1,200 associates across the firm, we hope that this donation will start the road to healing and reconstruction for so many that have lost everything.”

DiStefano presented Pinnacle’s contribution during the telethon that Nashville’s NBC affiliate, WSMV, produced to raise funds for survivors.

The wildfires in the Great Smoky Mountains is the worst disaster of its kind to hit the eastern part of Tennessee, burning more than 500 acres, damaging or destroying more than 1,000 structures and killing at least 14.

"This area is the cornerstone of East Tennessee’s tourism industry, and we realize that rebuilding will be a long process," DiStefano said.

Those wishing to make a donation to the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville Emergency Response Fund through the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee can do so by visiting the wsmv.com and clicking “Donate to Smoky Mountain Wildfire Victims.”

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 American Banker recognized Pinnacle as the sixth best bank to work for in the country in 2016.

The firm began operations in a single downtown Nashville location in October 2000 and has since grown to approximately $11.0 billion in assets at Sept. 30, 2016. As the second-largest bank holding company headquartered in Tennessee, Pinnacle operates in the state’s four largest markets, Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga, as well as several surrounding counties.

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

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