Pinnacle Expands in Atlanta with Addition of Five Financial Professionals at Avalon Office

To further meet the demand for quality financial services in the Atlanta region, Pinnacle Financial Partners welcomed five financial experts to the Avalon office. Tonya Nix, Kim Kimmel, and Jonas Carvalho joined the firm as financial advisors along with Mara Ceko, financial specialist and Bryan Byrd, client service advisor.

“Pinnacle’s growth in the Atlanta region is fueled by new associates like these who bring their sterling reputations and hearts to serve,” said Rob Garcia, regional president. “These experienced financial professionals have quickly become integral to our team, fully embracing Pinnacle’s values and consistently delivering quality service to both our clients and the broader community.”

Nix has 24 years of experience as a financial expert. She joins Pinnacle from United Community, where she was a relationship manager and vice president. She started her career in banking with Washington Mutual, where she was responsible for opening two offices. She also worked in several leadership roles for Truist throughout her tenure. Nix has earned degrees from both Reinhardt University and the University of West Georgia.

Kimmel has 19 years of experience in the financial services industry and was most recently a senior small business consultant and worked in several leadership roles for Truist throughout her tenure. She attended Georgia Gwinnett College with a focus on international business administration.

Carvalho brings 17 years of financial services experience to Pinnacle. He most recently served at JP Morgan Chase Bank as a senior business relationship manager and vice president in addition to other roles. Prior to that he served as branch manager and assistant vice president for SunTrust Bank. He earned his bachelor’s in finance from Kennesaw State University and is active in the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the United Way among other community organizations.

Ceko joins Pinnacle with 22 years of financial experience. She comes to Pinnacle from Renasant Bank, where she was a head teller and personal banker. Prior to that, she worked as a sales and service specialist for Bank of America.

Byrd brings 16 years of experience to his role at Pinnacle. He joins the firm from SouthState Bank where he served as assistant branch manager. Prior to that he worked in various roles at Brinks Incorporated and Georgia United Credit Union. He earned his MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management and his bachelor’s from Clayton State University.

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 expanded to Georgia in 2020 by hiring a team of local financial services professionals to start an office in Atlanta. The firm was named to the list of Best Places to Work in Atlanta, medium company category, four years in a row by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, including a No. 1 ranking in 2022 and No. 2 in 2023.

The firm began operations in a single location in downtown Nashville, TN, in October 2000 and has since grown to approximately $50.7 billion in assets as of September 30, 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.