First Bank & Trust Co. has named Austin Phipps as a new vice president in Abingdon, Va.
Phipps joins both the agriculture and commercial lending divisions of the bank. While his office will be in Abingdon, he hails from Grayson County, Va., and his service area will expand into North Carolina.
As a native of southwest Virginia, Phipps is passionate about the success of agriculture in the region and wants to help better equip farmers throughout southwest Virginia and western North Carolina by meeting their financial needs. "Our region deserves the very best in financial support and in collaboration with First Bank & Trust, that is exactly what I am going to offer,” he said.
Senior Vice President & Agriculture Lending Division Supervisor Keith Phillips said the bank “has long recognized western North Carolina as a part of our region's agricultural footprint. Adding Austin to our team is going to allow us to better serve farmers in Watauga, Ashe and Avery Counties."
Phipps spent the last decade as a commercial lending officer for Skyline National Bank.
Before beginning his career in banking, Phipps received his bachelor's degree from Radford University. He currently attends the Virginia Bankers Association's School of Bank Management. Phipps is a board member of the Virginia Workforce Development Authority and has previously served on the advisory board for the Grayson County Sheriff's Department and the Grayson Carrol Virginia Tech Extension Agency. He and his wife, Carlie, have two daughters.
First Bank & Trust Co. is a diversified financial services firm with office locations throughout southwest Virginia and the New River and Shenandoah valleys of the state. It also operates locations throughout northeast Tennessee.
For more information, visit www.firstbank.com.
