A message from your market president

John brings 25 years of industry experience, including decades of collaborative leadership focused on empowering his team to deliver exceptional value to the client. He has spent his career in large banks as both a banker and in leadership roles, in legacy markets as well as de novo expansion markets.

Throughout his career, Brown takes pride in his track record for bringing clients on board and growing strong relationships by bringing value added products and services with responsive and consultative advice. His professional perspective is that long lasting relationships are earned by understanding client needs, assessing appropriate risk, and structuring solutions that benefit both the client and the financial partner.

Brown makes a point to get involved in his local community. He has served on Chambers of Commerce, committees dedicated to Economic Development and Talent & Diversity, and volunteered for health, educational, and financial organizations throughout Nashville, TN and Louisville, KY. He is thrilled to be returning to his hometown of Louisville and contributing his talents to the vibrant community.

When not serving his clients or his community, he makes a point to see the world with extensive international travel. Next time you see him, ask him about his latest adventure!

A native of Indianapolis, Greg has spent the majority of his 40-year banking career in Louisville, KY. Prior to joining First Financial, he spent time with PNC. His clients range from international based distributors to local ESOP-owned manufacturers, keeping long-time middle market relationships.

Over the years, Greg has received several Leader Circle Awards from First Financial Bank for going above and beyond his call of duty and commitment within the bank.   

Greg’s civic involvements include board roles with the YMCA, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Kentuckiana, The Kentucky Science Center, Americana Community Center and Junior Achievement.

With over 17 years of experience in banking, Kim assists businesses across the Louisville and Southern Indiana area. Her career has been dedicated to helping businesses thrive. She brings a strategic approach and industry insight that enables her team to deliver exceptional value to clients. More than a decade of her career has included roles that deepened expertise in financial solutions and relationship management.

During her banking tenure, Kim spent eight years managing business relationships in the Kentuckiana area and five years as a Customer Account Executive in the food, beverage, and agribusiness sectors across the United States. This diverse experience has provided her with a broad understanding of different industries and the unique needs of businesses nationwide.

Throughout her career, Kim’s commitment to excellence has received recognition including: 2012, 2013. 2015 Human Sigma 6 – Achieved peak levels of partnership and customer engagement. Certified Cash Flow Advisor for Businesses. Certified Women’s Business Advocate Achievement Award. Circle of Excellence Award.

Bill’s nearly ten-year career in banking began shortly after earning a BS in Finance from the University of Louisville. He spent several years in a variety of Credit Administration roles at community banks, up to and including Assistant Vice President, Credit Analyst.

In 2023, Bill joined First Financial Bank, drawn to the role of Relationship Manager and the opportunity to support local business owners. His experience at smaller institutions is a great fit for First Financial and its community bank feel that offers larger institutional resources.  

As Commercial Relationship Manager, Bill enjoys getting to know his clients and learning their goals so that he can find the right banking solutions for them. His greatest success is when his clients’ ventures succeed.

When he isn’t learning about his clients’ businesses, he is following the cars and motorsports scene. Most Saturday mornings you can find him at a local Cars and Coffee event somewhere in Louisville.

Brandon is a well-rounded banking professional with nearly 15 years of experience including retail, commercial credit analysis, commercial underwriting, and commercial lending. He has held leadership positions at the Vice President level and looks forward to bringing his range of skills to the growing First Financial team in the town he calls home.

Coming from a small community bank environment, his clients range from entrepreneurs starting their first business venture and real estate investors buying their first property, to developers building multi-family housing and business owners celebrating decades of success. He is proud to have been involved providing financing solutions from $25k to more than $25 million.

Living the First Financial Bank value of being Proudly Local, Brandon currently serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors for The Arrow Fund, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides treatment, fostering, and rehoming of animals who have been victims of extreme torture, abuse, or neglect. 

Mark brings 25 years of commercial banking experience in the Louisville market to his clients. His diverse professional background also includes public accounting with Deloitte and corporate finance with Cincinnati-based media company Scripps.

Mark currently serves middle market companies with sales ranging from $5 million to $500 million. The diversity in Mark’s work experience makes him uniquely qualified to understand his clients’ financial and management challenges, ask the right questions and find the right solutions. Mark seeks to build long-term relationships as a trusted advisor to his clients, based on delivering exceptional client service and customized solutions that help his clients achieve economic success.

Mark is a Certified Public Accountant, and he holds a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Miami University and an MBA in Finance and International Business from the University of Pittsburgh.

Living the First Financial value of being proudly local, Mark is highly engaged in his community. He currently serves as the Chair for the Membership Committee for the Financial Executives International, Louisville Chapter and as Chair of Business & Industry Committee for the Kentucky Society of CPAs. He is a graduate of the Focus Louisville program and has previously served as the Treasurer and an Executive Committee member for The Louisville Ballet.

Kimberly Watson has been with First Financial Bank since 2015. Prior to joining First Financial, she worked with a major investment banking firm for 32 years.

Kimberly brings more than 40 years in the banking industry across many different areas of the bank including compliance, dealer commercial services, and commercial loans. As the Market Support Specialist in the Louisville Market, she brings her diverse banking knowledge to provide individualized client support.

With a keen understanding of financial risk and savvy solutions, she likes to joke that she got risk-taking out of her system years ago by bungee jumping several times. Now she avoids jumping off cliffs and instead gets a thrill from offering sound business support to clients.

Pat Swan is a Senior Private Banker with First Financial Wealth Management. His vast array of experience in multiple areas of the financial services industry enables him to provide first class service to each of his clients.

Prior to joining First Financial, Pat was a Sales Manager with Nationwide Advisory Solutions and grew AUM over $20 million. As the Regional Director for Wells Fargo Asset Management, Pat partnered with high-net-worth financial advisors developing strong relationships and assisting in constructing portfolios for key clients. His knowledge of the many intricate details concerning asset protection and investment management gives him the unique ability to be the central point of contact for the banking and financial needs of his clients.

Pat graduated with a BA in Marketing from Northeastern University in Boston and holds his Series 6, 7, 24, 63 and 65 licenses. He lives in Louisville with his wife Jennifer & two children, Ella & Brennan. Pat coaches little league baseball and soccer and is a Louisville Cardinal fan.