40-year banking industry veteran promoted to senior position in Sarasota

After four years overseeing growth at BayFirst National Bank, Thomas Quale was named an executive vice president at the St. Petersburg-based bank.

Quale, according to a statement, has been in the banking industry for 40 years. 

This isn’t Quale’s first promotion at BayFirst, becoming a market president in 2018 and the chief lending officer in 2021. This year alone, he oversaw the purchase of the building in the Newtown neighborhood of Sarasota that BayFirst has been renting since January 2022. The bank plans to convert the loan production office and financial resource center into a full-service banking center.

According to the press release, Quale also oversaw the bank’s first center in Sarasota in 2018 and the west Bradenton banking center opening in 2022.

“Sarasota has become BayFirst’s fastest growing market under Tom’s leadership and as a result of his unwavering commitment to our customers and community,” BayFirst President Thomas Zernick says in the release. “He has always served as a trusted extension to our executive leadership team, and we know we have the right person in place as we work to further expand and enhance our network south of Tampa Bay.”

 With his promotion, Quale will continue to manage regional strategy, commercial and consumer business development and Sarasota and Manatee county banking operations. BayFirst plans to expand further into the area with two banking centers scheduled to open in Sarasota this year and a center planned to open in east Bradenton in 2024.

“I am proud to have played a role in BayFirst’s incredible growth south of the Skyway Bridge and look forward to continued success in the years to come,” Quale says. “I am honored to join the executive team and excited to see our presence grow in my home market as we continue to develop into the premier community bank."