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First Freedom Bank Supports Lebanon Chamber Event

Written by Sarah Poss on . Posted in Bank News, Sponsorships/Community.

First Freedom Bank sponsored a table at the Lebanon Wilson County Chamber’s annual celebration. This was a particularly big year for the event, as the chamber was also celebrating their centennial. Held at The Mill in Lebanon, attendance was over 500 businesses and individual members.

Pictured from left to right, back row, is John Lancaster, Chairman and CEO, Ryan Woodall, Assistant Vice President and Relationship Manager, Jackie Gaither, Board Member, John Bradshaw, President / COO & CLO, Phillip Vance, Vice President and Relationship Manager, and J.B. Owens, Executive Vice President and Director of Commercial Banking, Pictured from left to right, front row, is Maliea Oakley, Senior Vice President and Director of Human Resources, and Shelia Ferrell, Senior Vice President and Managerial Lender.

First Freedom Supports Mt. Juliet Chamber

Written by Sarah Poss on . Posted in Bank News, Community Involvement.

First Freedom Bank supported the Mt. Juliet Chamber’s annual celebration with the purchase of seats at the event. Held at the Hilton Garden Inn & Tru on February 9th, the chamber uses this event as a time to recognize those who have made a particular impact in the business community in the prior year.

Pictured from left to right is Ashley Montgomery, Assistant Vice President and Mt. Juliet Office Manager, Sarah Poss, Vice President and Assistant Director of Retail Banking, Kaitlin Wattenbarger, Providence Personal Banker, Meagan Roberts, Providence Personal Banker, Denise Bingham, Assistant Vice President and Providence Office Manager, and Kenny Beavers, Senior Vice President and Director of Retail Banking.

First Freedom Recognizes Employees with the Chairman’s Cup Awards

Written by Sarah Poss on . Posted in Bank News, Press Releases.

First Freedom recognized several employees this past quarter for exceptional job performance and for exceeding their individual goals for enhancing and broadening customer relationships. Their outstanding performance earned them the prestigious honor of Chairman’s Cup Member for the quarter.

Congratulations to the following Staff for qualifying for Chairman’s Cup:

Blake Smith, Lebanon FSR Manager

Kasey Johnston, Lebanon FSR

Tori Oakley, FSR / Personal Banker

Miah Lamb, Providence FSR

Kaye Fajardo, Providence FSR

Chrissy Wright, Providence FSR Manager

Kyleigh Heady, Gainesboro FSR

Rebecca Birman, Gainesboro FSR Manager

Shelby Mayberry, Gainesboro FSR

Abby McCann, Cookeville FSR Manager

Kaylie Roberson, Cookeville FSR

Teola Ragland, Algood FSR Manager

Hannah Philpot, Algood FSR

Abby McCann, pictured below with John Lancaster, Chairman and CEO, received additional recognition as the Chairman’s Cup Top Performer for achieving the highest overall performance score among all participants.

Pictured above, back row, left to right is Kenny Beavers, Senior Vice President and Director of Retail Banking, Rebecca, Shelby, Miah, and John and pictured front row, left to right is, Sarah Poss, Vice President and Assistant Director of Retail Banking, Tori, Blake, Kasey, Abby, Kaye, and Kyleigh.

Denise Bingham smiles at the camera against a grey background.

First Freedom Promotes Bingham

Written by Sarah Poss on . Posted in Bank News, New Hires/Promotions.

Denise Bingham has been promoted to Providence Office Manager and Assistant Vice President, announced John Lancaster, Chairman and CEO. Bingham’s prior role was as a Senior Personal Banker and Development Coordinator.

“I’m very excited to see Denise move into this important role,” stated Lancaster.  “Her coworkers love and respect her and her customers know she has a wealth of banking knowledge.  Denise is a top-shelf individual in every respect and I’m proud to have her representing First Freedom.”   

Bingham is a career banker with extensive experience in the retail division, as well as lending. Before joining First Freedom in 2017, she served as an Assistant Vice President and Branch manager with a corporate bank where she was recognized with a Distinguished Sales and Marketing Award. Over the last couple of years, she has served as an Ambassador for the Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce.

A native of Lebanon, Bingham continues to reside there with her husband. They have two daughters and are members of Maple Hill Church of Christ.

First Freedom Bank, headquartered in Wilson County, was established in 2006.  A full service, community bank, First Freedom Bank offers personal and commercial banking services from six locations in Wilson, Putnam and Jackson Counties, and has approximately 70 employees. First Freedom Bank has assets in excess of $600 million and is owned by more than 1,100 shareholders throughout Middle Tennessee. First Freedom Bank is a member of the Better Business Bureau, an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. Additionally, First Freedom has earned the prestigious Five Star rating by Bauer Financial, the nation’s leading independent bank and credit union rating firm.

First Freedom staff stand and smile at the camera.

First Freedom Supports Cookeville Chamber

Written by Sarah Poss on . Posted in Bank News, Community Involvement.

First Freedom supported the Cookeville Chamber’s annual meeting by sponsoring a table at the event. Held on February 6th at the Leslie Town Center, the chamber honored six members for their commitment to Putnam County in the prior year. The keynote speaker was Dianne Murphy, senior partner at the PICTOR group.

Pictured from left to right, front row, is Rachel Honaker, Algood Office Manager, Abby McCann, Cookeville FSR Manager, Bryan Sweet, Cookeville Personal Banker, Donna Elrod, Vice President and Gainesboro Office Manager, Sarah Poss, Vice President and Assistant Director of Retail Banking, and J.B. Owens, Executive Vice President and Director of Commercial Banking. Pictured from left to right, back row, is Kenny Beavers, Senior Vice President and Director of Retail Banking, and Ladell Medley, Vice President and Cookeville Office Manager.

Give A Little Christmas with First Freedom Bank

First Freedom Volunteers with Give a Little Christmas

Written by Sarah Poss on . Posted in Bank News, Community Involvement.

First Freedom staff volunteered to work during Give a Little Christmas’ Parent Distribution Week. Give a Little Christmas is a non-profit organization local to Mt. Juliet that donates toys to families in need within Wilson County and the surrounding areas.  This was their 12th year in operation, supplying Christmas for 150 to 500 kids each year.

Pictured from left to right is Sarah Poss, Vice President and Assistant Director of Retail Banking, and Ashley Montgomery, Assistant Vice President and Mt. Juliet Office Manager.

First Freedom Sponsors Cookeville Chamber Event

Written by Sarah Poss on . Posted in Bank News, Sponsorships/Community.

First Freedom Bank was a sponsor of the Cookeville Chamber’s annual Christmas Business After Hours. Held at the Leslie Town Center, this event promotes networking among local businesses.

Pictured from left to right is Abby McCann, Cookeville FSR Manager, Bryan Sweet, Cookeville Personal Banker, Ladell Medley, Vice President and Cookeville Office Manager, and Kaitlyn Kovalchick, Accounting Officer.

Kasey Johnston and Holly Wolfe pose in front of a Christmas backdrop and tree.

First Freedom Volunteers with Easter Seals Tennessee

Written by Sarah Poss on . Posted in Bank News, Community Involvement.

First Freedom Bank staff volunteered to help with Easter Seals Tennessee’s annual holiday party. The party was organized for Easter Seals’ Early Intervention and Autism Therapy Families in Wilson County. Around 150 families were invited to attend.

 Staff assisted with the party set-up, as well as helping with several activities during the party.

Easter Seals Tennessee is a non-profit organization that supports children and adults living with autism and other disabilities or special needs and their families.

Pictured, top, left to right is Kasey Johnston, Lebanon FSR, and Holly Wolfe, Lebanon Personal Banker.

Pictured, bottom, left to right, is Amanda Hewitt, Lebanon FSR, and Tatum Ortlepp, Lebanon Assistant Office Manager.

FFB Staff pose with guest speaker and mayor in front of a brick wall and a Rehab23 sign.

First Freedom Sponsors Rehab23 Christmas Breakfast

Written by Sarah Poss on . Posted in Bank News, Community Involvement.

First Freedom Bank was a co-sponsor of the annual Wilson County Rehab23 First Responders Christmas Breakfast. Attendees include Sheriff, Directors, & Chiefs of the 8 Wilson County agencies Rehab23 supports and Rehab23 responders, as well as other guests or organizations that have provided support to the organization.

The special guest speaker this year was Patrick Sheehan, Director of Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

Pictured left to right is Sarah Poss, Vice President and Assistant Director of Retail Banking, Denise Bingham, Providence Personal Banker, Ashley Montgomery, Assistant Vice President and Providence Office Manager, Patrick Sheehan, Mayor Hutto, and Kenny Beavers, Senior Vice President and Director of Retail Banking.

Headshot of Laura Johnson, facing the camera in a red blouse and black blazer.

First Freedom’s Laura Johnson Graduates Advanced Banking School

Written by Sarah Poss on . Posted in Bank News, Press Releases.

Paul W. Barret, Jr. Graduate School of Banking in Memphis, Tennessee recently announced the graduation of Laura Johnson, Senior Vice President, Information Security Officer and Deposit Operations Manager.

The school was held on the campus of Christian Brothers University in Memphis. Paul W. Barret, Jr. Graduate School of Banking has been providing advanced banking education for fifty-one years, with a curriculum designed to provide a high degree of understanding of all commercial banking functions. During the three-year program, graduates received in excess of 130 hours of instruction and prepared in-depth reports in eight areas of study. There were 246 financial industry professionals from thirty states participating in the 2023 session.

Johnson has twenty-four years of banking experience, compounded by a specialized education revolving around bank automation, money laundering, and information security.  Johnson holds the Accredited ACH Professional certification (AAP) from the National Automatic Clearing House Association (NACHA) and the Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist certification (CAMS) from the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists. She holds a General Banking Diploma and a Bank Operations Diploma from The American Bankers Association.