Before founding Columbus First, Rhett was an executive officer with Prospect Bank from 2001 to 2004, and was elected a director in 2003. In 1990, he was one of four principal officers to organize Commerce National Bank, a national bank headquartered in Columbus, where he was an executive officer and later a director until 2000.

He began his successful career practicing law in Columbus with Baker & Hostetler (as well as a predecessor firm) representing clients in the areas of corporate law, real estate and banking. He and his wife reside in Dublin, Ohio.

John Smiley is one of the co-founders of Columbus First Bank. He has over 20 years of experience in the banking industry, specializing in commercial real estate and medical/dental lending. His career began as a loan officer with State Savings Bank, where he worked for 11 years. He went on to work at Commerce National Bank as a loan officer and was one of the original employees of Prospect Bank, which was later sold to Sky Bank.

John is a graduate of Bishop Watterson High School and The Ohio State University, and currently resides in Dublin.