Jim brings over three decades of banking experience to the management team. He has been in the Greenville banking market for since 1993 and served as the Greenville Market Executive for BB&T for several years. He was the President and Founder of New Commerce Bank and served at First Citizens Bank as a senior lender for the Greenville office. Jim serves on the Financial board for the Foothills Presbytery and the Blue Ridge Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He served on the boards of the Greenville and Mauldin Chambers of Commerce and the Greenville United Way. He graduated from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and the Stonier School of Banking at the University of Delaware.
After graduating from Furman University, Hilda was accepted to the Wachovia Personal Banking School in 1987. She worked in Charlotte, North Carolina, and experienced all aspects of consumer lending and branch management. She returned to her hometown of Greenville in 1991 as a branch manager for Carolina First Bank. Hilda saw opportunity with BB&T and after joining the organization in 1997, she was integral in the establishment of the Small Business Lending Division in 2000. There she also won the Sterling Performance Award for small business two consecutive years. In 2003, Hilda continued to expand her banking skills by serving as a Private Banker for First Citizens Bank, lending to the affluent and emerging wealth segment. However, over the next six years, Hilda continued to develop her commercial lending skills and found small business lending to be the most rewarding in her career. Her diverse skill set serves perfectly for the challenges of a community bank, and Hilda was honored to join Pinnacle Bank of South Carolina in 2009 as Senior Relationship Manager and Commercial Lender. Hilda is a graduate of the South Carolina Bankers School, a board member for the Annual Giving Council of Furman University, and represents Pinnacle Bank at various civic and professional functions.
A native of Pickens, Jeff grew up in Pickens and graduated from Pickens High School in 1983. He is a 1987 graduate of Southern Wesleyan University. Jeff has been in banking for twenty-four years, where he gained extensive experience in commercial and consumer lending. Jeff started his banking career at First National Bank of Pickens County working there for eleven years. Jeff moved to The Peoples National Bank in Easley and worked there for thirteen years. Jeff is a member of the Pickens County Foster Care Review Board, and served as President of The Western Carolina’s Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Board.
Greenville native Eric Lysak returned to his hometown after graduating from Roanoke College in Salem, VA, and working with First Century Bank Inc. in West Virginia. Eric joined the Pinnacle Bank team in 2013 as a Commercial Banking Officer and is currently pursuing a degree from the VBA School of Bank Management.
An Upstate native, Armstrong graduated from Greer High School in 2003 and is a graduate of Southern Wesleyan University. Armstrong is actively involved in the Greer and Greenville communities and is proud to be working and serving in the area. She has over five years of experience in the banking industry including extensive work in deposit growth, lending and business development. Sarah started her banking career with BB&T, and her transition to Pinnacle Bank was driven by the desire to partner with a hometown community bank. Armstrong is a member of the Junior League of Greenville and actively participates in Relay for Life, the United Way’s efforts in Greenville and the Greer Chamber of Commerce.