T. Heath Fountain named new CEO of PlantersFirst Bank

ALBANY — Former HeritageBank of the South Chief Financial Officer T. Heath Fountain has found a new banking home, having been named the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Hawkinsville-based PlantersFirst Bank on Monday.

Fountain will succeed current CEO William “Bill” Daniel, who has been with PlantersFirst since 2013 and will remain with bank as President and director of the Bank through the end of 2015.

Prior to Monday’s announcement, Fountain, an Albany native who graduated from Deerfield Windor School before earning an accounting degree from the University of Georgia, had been with HeritageBank since 2003 where he had been instrumental in helping that institution transition from a $350 million savings bank into a $1.8 billion full service financial institution prior to recently merging with Renasant Bank out of Tupelo, Miss.

Fountain played a key role in the acquisitions HeritageBank completed during the past few years.

“I was able to be a part of a lot of Heritage’s growth,” said Fountain. “I put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into Heritage and now it feels like that was really worthwhile. Heritage is a great organization, but it was a great time for me to get an opportunity like this. I felt like this was a good career move for me. Having an opportunity like this, I feel pretty blessed to have it.”

When researching PlantersFirst, a bank he had been keenly aware of during his time in banking in Southwest Georgia, Fountain said he was impressed with the way the company rebounded from the economic downturn that hurt so many Georgia banks in 2008 and 2009.

“I had been watching them for a long time,” said Fountain. “The company really took it on the chin during the downturn, but they recovered from that and have come out really strong. It was impressive.”

Fountain said he feels a lot of that success comes from the strong customer base and strong banking team the company has built over the years.

“This bank has some of the best core customer bases of any bank I’ve ever seen,” he said. “As I did my due diligence I learned they had great customers and team members. And the bank is in good markets.”

PlantersFirst has locations in six markets including Hawkinsville, Cordele, Pineview, Ocilla, Perry, and Fitzgerald, where it offers traditional consumer and commercial banking services, including mortgages.

PlantersFirst was founded in 1896 and is considered Georgia’ eighth oldest bank. The company has 82 employees and $272 million in assets.

Commenting in a press release on the decision to bring Fountain into the fold, PlantersFirst Board Chairman Hatcher Way said he was pleased with the contribution’s Daniel had made to the company and that he was looking forward to a smooth transition as Fountain assumes the reigns.

“Two years ago we were extremely fortunate to bring in someone with Bill Daniel’s talent and experience to assist us in restructuring the bank,” said Way. “Bill brought new energy and fresh insight to our bank and we are grateful that his efforts are bearing fruit. Bill will also play a central role in the next phase of our plan by assisting Heath in this transition.”