ServisFirst Bank expanded into Southwest Florida with the hiring of five seasoned, local bankers, including experienced professionals in business development, portfolio management and equipment financing.

The new team will be located in Sarasota, with Mario Bringas serving as president of the Southwest Florida market. Joining the leadership team will be Senior Vice President and Senior Commercial Banker Brent Dykstra, Vice President and Commercial Banker Ryan Riley, Vice President and Commercial Banker Oscar Montalvo, and Portfolio Manager Tom Villemaire.

“We are excited to add this group of talented bankers to the ServisFirst Bank team. Their track record and deep involvement in the community will help us extend our footprint into the important Southwest Florida market,” states Greg Bryant, ServisFirst Bank West Florida CEO.

The team will lead the growth of ServisFirst Bank’s commercial banking group in the Bradenton-Sarasota-Fort Myers-Naples footprint, building service-oriented relationships with owner-managed companies and professionals, and providing responsive and superior service.

Previously, Bringas served as the market president for SWFL for Synovus Financial and held various leadership and sales roles from 2006 until 2019. At Synovus Bank, Bringas’s team was consistently ranked at the top in the entire Company. Bringas also previously served the Southwest Florida community for SunTrust Bank as a commercial underwriter where he supported the C&I Commercial Team and Middle Market Team.

Dykstra previously served as the senior vice president and commercial banker for Synovus Bank where he was responsible for business development, originating and processing commercial loans, and managing loan portfolios. At Synovus Bank, Dykstra was consistently ranked in the top 3 commercial bankers in the entire company. Prior to Synovus Bank, he served as the assistant vice president and community banking relationship manager for Florida Community Bank after beginning his career as a consumer loan officer at the Community National Bank of Sarasota County.

Riley previously served as the senior commercial banker at Synovus Financial where he was responsible for business development and portfolio management in Tampa Bay and the Sarasota and Manatee area. At Synovus Bank, Riley was consistently ranked in the top 3 commercial bankers in the entire Company. Prior to his time with Synovus, Riley worked with City National Bank as the business development manager responsible for developing a new territory in Hollywood, Florida. Before joining City National Bank, he held various positions at Wachovia Bank including financial sales leader and financial specialist.

In his new role, Montalvo will focus on the Naples & Fort Myers area. Previously, Montalvo served as vice president commercial banker at Synovus Bank where he was consistently ranked in the top 10 commercial bankers in his segment. Before Synovus, Oscar served as a business development officer for three years with BankUnited. With ServisFirst Bank, Montalvo will provide financing for working capital, expansion, mergers/acquisitions, real estate, and equipment financing.

Previously, Thomas served as a credit analyst and portfolio manager at Synovus Bank and prior to that worked as a commercial banker/portfolio manager at Sabal Palm Bank, where he was responsible for handling new business opportunities, all aspects of the lending process, and managing commercial loan portfolios, among other tasks. Prior to Sabal Palm Bank, he spent 8 years at BMO Harris Bank where he served as Vice president/business banker and vice president relationship manager in the Managed Assets Division.

Concurrent with the hiring of the new team, the Tampa Bay Region will be renamed West Florida, with Greg Bryant continuing to serve as the region’s CEO. ServisFirst Bank West Florida will include the Tampa Bay office, with Gwynn Davey as president, and the Southwest Florida office, with Mario Bringas as president.

ServisFirst is a full-service commercial bank focused on commercial banking, correspondent banking, cash management, private banking and the professional consumer market, emphasizing competitive products, state of the art technology and a focus on quality service.