Tallahassee People on the Move

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Big Bend Announce New Board Member

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Big Bend recently announced their newest Board Member, Dustin Rivest.

Rivest is a native to Tallahassee. After graduating from Lincoln High School he went on to play football on scholarship at Florida International University as a kicker. In 2010 he returned to Tallahassee where he started App Innovators which is now known as the 223 Agency. As a serial entrepreneur, he owns several other businesses such as Event Owl, Foodies Takeout & Delivery, and The Health Network. He is married to Lucki Rivest and they have a 5 year old daughter named Georgia. He is looking to serving on the BBBS board in many capacities.

To learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Big Bend or if you’re interested in becoming a mentor, visit www.bigbendmentoring.org and follow us on social media @BBBSBigBend.

Brandon Mott and Ben Stevens III Admitted to Shareholder group at Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A. CPAs

Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A. CPAs (THF), a professional accounting, assurance, governmental consulting, and tax services firm headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida recently announced that  Brandon Mott, CPA and Ben A. “Steve” Stevens III, CPA were admitted to the Shareholder group.

“Brandon started his career with THF. We were the first CPA firm that he worked with, and he worked through every accounting position up to Shareholder,” said Jeff Barbacci, CPA, Managing Shareholder. “He made an investment in his career by being one of the first to move to our Tampa location. Now he is the first shareholder to be fully remote.”

Managing Shareholder Jeff Barbacci mentioned that Ben A. “Steve” Stevens III, CPA, “Will be our first dedicated Shareholder to the Governmental Consulting Services Department. He helped build our governmental consulting practices. He’s invested his time and efforts in that area and because of him and the whole team, we are successful!”

“Our team has been fun to build,” said Steve Stevens III, CPA. “It is because of that team, that I have been admitted into the Shareholder group. This team is unique because the majority of our team doesn’t have accounting degrees. Their degrees are in other areas of business. I appreciate the Shareholders having the vision for this department and admitting me into the Shareholder group.

Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A. CPAs is a certified public accounting firm founded in 1993. The firm serves businesses and individuals from its locations in Bainbridge, Georgia; Panama City, Florida; Tallahassee, Florida; and Tampa, Florida. For more information, please call 850-668-8100 or visit www.thf-cpa.com.

Florida Law Firm Lewis, Longman & Walker Moves to New Office in Downtown Tallahassee

With over a quarter-century of experience at the center of legislative and regulatory action in Florida, Lewis, Longman & Walker (LLW) has moved their Tallahassee office closer to the Capitol with new digs at the Highpoint Center downtown.

“More than 25 years of solution-centered service has made Lewis, Longman & Walker a leader in Florida,” said Lori Killinger, Executive Shareholder and Chair of LLW’s Legislative, Lobbying and Governmental Affairs practice. “The entire firm is excited to be moving just steps away from Florida’s Capitol.”

The attorneys at LLW focus on the technical and ever-changing areas of Legislative and Governmental Law, Environmental, and Land Use Law. With 35 attorneys statewide, LLW is a Top Ranked Law Firm by Martindale-Hubbell and also one of only four law firms in Florida to receive the top-tier Band 1 ranking in environmental law by Chambers and Partners.

In addition to Tallahassee, LLW has offices in Jacksonville, St. Petersburg, Tampa and West Palm Beach.

Colony Bank Names Edward G. Canup Chief Revenue Officer, President of Banking Solutions

Colony Bankcorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBAN) (“Colony”), the bank holding company for Colony Bank, recently announced that Edward G. “Ed” Canup has been named Chief Revenue Officer and President of Banking Solutions. In this newly created position, Canup will be charged with the strategic development of new business lines, the expansion of existing ancillary lines of business, and the support of relationship banking.

Canup joins Colony after a 39-year banking career at Capital City Bank where he served in a variety of roles including Cashier and Chief Accounting Officer, Director of Commercial Banking, Co-Chief Operating Officer, and most recently EVP and Chief Revenue Officer.

During his time at Capital City Bank, Canup successfully implemented Commercial Real Estate Banking, developed Private Banking, restructured community markets to provide for improved efficiency and revenue growth, led the expansion of Wealth Management to include life insurance, sponsored the expansion of Residential Mortgage increasing annual production from $300 million to $1.5 billion, and was responsible for expansion into new markets.

Canup earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Florida State University and was inducted into the Tallahassee Community College Hall of Fame in 2018. Canup and his wife, Lisa, have three children and reside in Tallahassee, Florida.

Colony Bankcorp, Inc. is the bank holding company for Colony Bank. Founded in 1975 and headquartered in Fitzgerald, Georgia, Colony operates 38 locations throughout Georgia.