Doug Smith, Tiffani Tedder, & Ashley Gibson to provide leadership

Greenville, South Carolina – January 13, 2021– Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: SFST), holding company for Southern First Bank, announces its expansion to Charlotte, NC. The Bank intends to establish a full-service retail office upon regulatory approval. 

Art Seaver, CEO, commented: “We are incredibly excited to add Doug, Tiffani, and Ashley to the Southern First team as we continue to grow. We believe the timing of this market expansion to Charlotte is perfect, and we look forward to completing our new office in Southpark.” Cal Hurst, Chief Banking Officer, added, “Southern First’s unique model of ClientFirst service has continued to outperform throughout our markets, and our Charlotte team gives us an exciting opportunity to bring this experience to a great new group of clients.”

The expansion to the Charlotte market will be led by Doug Smith, Executive Vice President and Charlotte Market Executive. Smith brings close to 30 years of banking experience in the Charlotte market and has led commercial banking teams for nearly half his career.  Doug has expertise in working with both Commercial and Industrial (C&I) businesses ranging from $5 million to $250 million in revenue size as well as Commercial Real Estate (CRE) developers and investors. Doug enjoys a customized approach to doing business with his clients through understanding their business and catering a solution that adds value and trust to a relationship.  Doug is passionate about community service and is currently the Vice Chair of the Brace Family YMCA Board in Charlotte and serves on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Carolinas.  

Tiffani Tedder, Senior Vice President, will also join Southern First to provide leadership in the Charlotte market. Tiffani Tedder has been in business development with commercial banking clients for over 20 years.  Tiffani’s career started with a large national bank, and she has been in the community banking space for the last eight years.  Tiffani’s background includes Commercial and Industrial (C&I) banking, professional services and healthcare.  Tiffani is a Leadership Charlotte graduate and currently serves on the board of Providence Day School. In addition, Tiffani chaired fundraising campaigns for the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce for several years. 

Ashley Gibson has been in the banking industry for nearly 20 years and has served in support roles in both mortgage and commercial banking.  Her career includes time at both large regional banks and local community banks.  Ashley has led commercial support teams in both deposit and loan relationship functionality and has a reputation for delivering a superb client experience.   

Southern First Bancshares, Inc., Greenville, South Carolina is a registered bank holding company incorporated under the laws of South Carolina. The company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Southern First Bank, is the largest bank headquartered in South Carolina. Southern First Bank has been providing financial services since 1999 and now operates in seven markets throughout the Southeast – Columbia, Charleston, and Greenville, SC; Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh, NC; and Atlanta, GA. Southern First Bancshares has consolidated assets of approximately $2.5 billion and its common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “SFST.” More information can be found at www.southernfirst.com.