Pinnacle Expands in Roanoke with Key Commercial Banking Hires

Pinnacle Financial Partners has added three financial services veterans to its Roanoke team. Financial Advisor Nathan Walker and Financial Advisor Assistants Christy Bennett and Jenna Nelson will expand Pinnacle’s ability to deliver distinctive service and effective advice to even more in this community.

“We hire the very best, most client-focused bankers because that’s what our clients deserve. Nathan, Christy, and Jenna demonstrate a commitment to service that is consistent with the rest of our Roanoke team and aligns with Pinnacle’s commitment to excellence,” said Jonathan Richardson, regional president. “These three exemplify the top talent drawn to Pinnacle, and their collective experience will further enhance the distinctive style of service we provide to the Roanoke community.”

Walker has 13 years of financial experience and joins the firm from Atlantic Union Bank, where he served as relationship manager and vice president. Prior to that, he was a relationship manager and vice president for American National Bank & Trust. Walker graduated from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Upon graduating, he joined a regional construction firm.  Walker spent 6 years in their finance department, gaining valuable experience and insight into working with privately held businesses. 

Bennett comes to Pinnacle with 32 years of experience, most recently serving as an appraisal services manager at American National Bank & Trust. She returns to the bank after previously having spent 13 years at Bank of North Carolina and Valley Bank, the predecessors to Pinnacle. Bennett has received multiple appraisal certifications through the American Bankers Association and the Risk Management Association.

Nelson, with 27 years of experience, joins Pinnacle from Atlantic Union Bank, where she served as a commercial lending assistant with a focus on commercial real estate. She also returns to Pinnacle after working 8 years at Bank of North Carolina and Valley Bank earlier in her career. Nelson is well-known to Pinnacle’s clients and the Roanoke commercial real estate community for her extensive experience and expertise.

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 and fastest growing bank in the Nashville-Murfreesboro-Franklin MSA, according to 2023 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 11 years in a row and No. 1 among banks with more than $10 billion in assets in 2023.

Pinnacle entered the Virginia 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 was recognized as the No. 6 Best Place to Work in Virginia by Virginia Business magazine in 2020.

The firm began operations in a single location in downtown Nashville, TN, in October 2000 and has since grown to approximately $49.4 billion in assets as of June 30, 2024. As the second-largest bank holding company 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.