Investment bank subsidiary of Pinnacle Bank grows team to 16

One of the country’s top investment banking teams is joining PNFP Capital Markets, Inc., the investment bank subsidiary of Pinnacle Bank. Six members of Fidus Partners are now part of PNFP Capital Markets, Inc. They are based in Charlotte, NC.

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Ed Imbrogno, John Cheek, Stephen Dockery, Adam Dings, John Kuhns and Grant Fletcher have joined PNFP Capital Markets, Inc., the investment bank subsidiary of Pinnacle Bank. (Photo: Business Wire)

• Ed Imbrogno, Fidus Co-founder and Managing Director
• John Cheek, Managing Director
• Stephen Dockery, Managing Director
• Adam Dings, Vice President
• John Kuhns, Analyst
• Grant Fletcher, Analyst

“This team comes with one of the strongest legacies in investment banking,” said Gary Wunderlich, managing director of Pinnacle Capital Markets, Inc. “Fidus is a nationally known firm with a history that stretches back to Bowles Hollowell Conner & Co., at one time one of the most highly regarded middle market investment banks in the nation. A group of former BHC bankers founded Fidus in 2005 to provide world-class advisory services to founder and family-owned businesses and privately held companies. We’re honored they have chosen to bring that lineage and tradition to Pinnacle as we continue to build high-level investment banking capabilities at our firm.”

PNFP Capital Markets, Inc. is a middle-market investment bank specializing in mergers and acquisitions and capital advisory services. They partner with businesses and financial sponsors for sell-side and buy-side M&A, recapitalizations, capital raises and other strategic alternatives.

The addition of these six from Fidus brings the team to 16 with offices in Nashville and Knoxville, TN, and now Charlotte to serve clients throughout the Southeast and across the country.

“We founded Fidus Partners to bring a culture of exceptional client service and the highest standards of quality to business owners in the middle market,” Imbrogno said. “What we found in Pinnacle is a perfect match – a top notch banking platform with deep client relationships and a shared passion for excellence.”

The Fidus team includes:

Ed Imbrogno

Imbrogno has more than 30 years of investment banking experience focused on merger and acquisition and corporate finance transactions, as well as extensive experience in the industrials sector, including water infrastructure, flow control and engineered industrial products. Imbrogno co-founded Fidus in 2005 and prior to that served as managing director and head of financial sponsor coverage at Wachovia Securities. Previously, he was a managing director in the M&A group at Wachovia Securities and a partner with its predecessor, Bowles Hollowell Conner & Co. Prior to joining BHC, he worked in the investment banking group of Morgan Stanley.

Imbrogno earned his bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Davidson College and an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School.

John Cheek

Cheek has 20 years of investment banking experience focused on M&A and debt and equity capital raise transactions. He has extensive transaction experience in the consumer, services and building products sectors. Cheek joined Fidus when the firm was founded in 2005 and has also held corporate operating roles across multiple sectors.

Cheek earned his bachelor’s degree in business, magna cum laude, from the Calloway School at Wake Forest University. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Mental Health America of Central Carolinas.

Stephen Dockery

Dockery has more than 30 years of investment banking and related experience focused on M&A and corporate finance transactions. He has extensive transaction experience in the industrial, building products and distribution sectors. He joined Fidus in 2006 and prior to that served as managing director and head of building products investment banking at Wachovia Securities. Previously, Dockery was a managing director in the M&A group at Wachovia Securities and an officer with its predecessor, Bowles Hollowell Conner & Co. He also served as a corporate M&A attorney with Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A.

Dockery earned his bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Davidson College, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and valedictorian. He received a J.D. degree from Yale Law School, where he was managing editor of the Yale Law and Policy Review.

Adam Dings

Dings has more than nine years of experience in financial services across public accounting, valuation services and investment banking. His prior experiences span across industries including financial services, logistics and distribution, specialty chemicals and healthcare. Prior to joining Fidus Partners in 2023, Dings worked in the healthcare investment banking groups at North Point M&A and Edgemont Partners. He also spent several years with Lincoln International and PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he started his career.

Dings earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in accounting and finance from Villanova University, as well as the CFA designation.

John Kuhns

Prior to joining Fidus in 2023, Kuhns interned with Spencer Stuart. He graduated from Wake Forest University with a bachelor’s in business and enterprise management with a concentration in financial analysis.

Grant Fletcher

Prior to joining Fidus in 2024, Fletcher was a research analyst with Harvard Business School. He also graduated from Wake Forest University with a master’s degree in Accountancy, with a concentration in financial markets and transactions.

About PNFP Capital Markets, Inc.

PNFP Capital Markets, Inc., a subsidiary of Pinnacle Bank, is a middle-market investment bank specializing in M&A and capital advisory. They partner with family-owned, founder-owned, and closely-held businesses, and financial sponsors to provide advisory services for sell-side and buy-side M&A, recapitalizations, capital raises, and other strategic alternatives. Supported by a full-service capital markets platform and a leading regional bank, the team utilize all their resources, leveraging experience and expertise across industries, to provide every client with distinctive service and effective advice.

About Pinnacle Financial Partners

Pinnacle Financial Partners provides a full range of banking, investment, trust, mortgage and insurance products and services designed for businesses and their owners and individuals interested in a comprehensive relationship with their financial institution. The firm is the No. 1 bank in the Nashville-Murfreesboro-Franklin MSA, according to 2024 deposit data from the FDIC. Pinnacle is No. 11 on FORTUNE magazine’s 2024 list of 100 Best Companies to Work For® in the U.S., its eighth consecutive appearance and was recognized by American Banker as one of America’s Best Banks to Work For 11 years in a row and No. 1 among banks with more than $10 billion in assets in 2023.

The firm began operations in a single location in downtown Nashville, TN in October 2000 and has since grown to approximately $50.7 billion in assets as of September 30, 2024. As the second-largest bank holding company in Tennessee, Pinnacle operates in several primarily urban markets across the Southeast.

Additional information concerning Pinnacle, which is included in the Nasdaq Financial-100 Index, can be accessed at www.pnfp.com.

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