Seacoast Expands its Commercial Banking Leadership Team

STUART, Fla., July 8, 2021 -- Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida (NASDAQ: SBCF), one of the largest community banks based in Florida, today announced the continued expansion of its commercial banking leadership team. The bank is adding James Norton as executive vice president and commercial real estate executive, Chris Rolle as president of the West Florida region, and Robert Hursh as market president for Pinellas County. “As Seacoast grows, we continue to expand our leadership team with talented individuals who have diverse backgrounds and market expertise,” said Austen Carroll, executive vice president and chief lending officer of Seacoast Bank. “James, Chris, and Robert each bring strong track records of high performance, and each has a significant following in the banking community in Florida.”

James Norton joins Seacoast as executive vice president, commercial real estate executive covering the state of Florida. Norton brings 20 years of experience in commercial real estate to Seacoast Bank. Prior to joining Seacoast, James was based in Tampa and led the expansion of BB&T’s commercial real estate business statewide before relocating to the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Most recently, Norton served as real estate banking director covering the Mid-Atlantic market at J.P. Morgan Chase. He also held leadership positions with IronStone Bank and SunTrust Bank in the Southeast U.S.

Chris Rolle joins Seacoast as president of the West Florida region, extending from the Tampa Bay area to Naples-Ft. Myers. Rolle is a Tampa native and a former executive at Synovus Bank, Florida Community Bank, and BB&T covering both the Tampa Bay area and Central Florida market. Rolle has a strong track record of success building high-performing commercial banking teams.

Robert Hursh joins Seacoast as market president in Pinellas County, where he will lead market initiatives and further grow Seacoast’s presence. Hursh, a Pinellas County native, has over 20 years of experience in leading commercial banking teams in the Tampa-St. Petersburg MSA, most recently as senior vice president with Synovus Bank. Hursh will partner with Cathy Swanson, market executive for Pinellas County, who joined Seacoast in August 2020 after serving as Freedom Bank’s chief executive officer & president.

These hires follow the expansion of Seacoast’s commercial banking team over the last several months, including the addition of Ron York, formerly of First Horizon Bank, as treasury management executive, and the addition of a commercial banking team in Central Florida from Wells Fargo, including Pam Notarantonio as regional credit officer for the Central Florida market, Dan Hilken as regional president for Central Florida, and six experienced commercial bankers.