Bank names new community president for market

SARASOTA — Brian Hall has been named senior vice president and community president for CenterState’s Sarasota/Manatee market.

Hall takes leadership of commercial and retail banking for Sarasota and Manatee counties following the recent retirement of Jim Kuhlman, according to a press release.

Hall joined CenterState Bank in 2013 after serving eight years as president, CEO and organizing director of Sarasota-based Sabal Palm Bank. He also held various senior management positions with the former SouthTrust Bank in Sarasota as well as for Star Bank and Irwin Union Bank in Ohio and Indiana. 

“Having more than 30 years of successful banking experience, Brian has built a tremendous reputation as a proven leader which will significantly contribute to the bank’s strong growth in our community,” says Shaun Merriman, regional president — west Florida, in a statement. “Over the past several years, Brian has been instrumental in motivating his teams to provide remarkable service, and he is thoroughly committed to developing and carefully managing strong customer and business relationships.”

Reporting to Hall will be Chris Perkins, area executive/commercial team leader, who now takes on the additional oversight of commercial banking for Sarasota and Manatee counties. Also reporting to Hall is Renee Brady, private banking team leader who oversees the local private bank, and Cindy Denison, retail market manager, who oversees all nine full-service branches across both counties.

CenterState Bank is a $17 billion Winter Haven-based bank. It operates in Florida, Georgia and Alabama. In Sarasota-Manatee, it has $733 million in bank assets with nine banking centers, according to a statement.