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.

Erica’s experience in lending began as a closing coordinator at the Service Title Agency where she helped clients manage their financing or refinancing processes, working with their mortgage lenders and real estate agents. She joined Columbus First Bank in March 2009 and manages a large commercial loan portfolio. In her role at the bank, Erica serves as a mortgage consultant advising clients on lending opportunities, negotiating contracts and managing customers’ portfolios.

Originally from Northeast Ohio, she graduated from The Ohio State University and currently resides in the Columbus area.

Dean joined Columbus First in July 2013 with over 30 years of banking experience in commercial lending. He earned his degree in Business Administration in Accounting from The Ohio State University and is a graduate of the Oklahoma University ABA Graduate School of Commercial Lending. He was awarded the CCDC “Banker of the Year” award in 1995.

Dean has served on various boards and takes pride in his active involvement in the communities he serves. He currently resides in Dublin, Ohio, with his wife Robin.

Tim joined Columbus First in March 2008, where he is primarily responsible for the lending and depository needs of the bank’s business clients, as well as a shareholder. He was previously at UPS Capital, specializing in business acquisition finance.

He graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1987 with a B.A. in communications and psychology, and was a member of the Ohio Army National Guard. Tim currently serves as loan committee member for Community Capital Development Corp., a rotary member, and committee member for U.S. Sportsman’s Alliance. He and his wife Jen have two children and reside in Powell.

After joining Columbus First Bank in 2009 as a member of the Credit Department, Justin transitioned to the Lending team as a commercial loan officer and portfolio manager in October 2012. In his new role, he now utilizes his skills in credit analysis and cash flow to assist clients with all of their lending and deposit needs.

Originally from Kettering, Justin graduated from The Ohio State University, and has been a resident of the Columbus area ever since. He and his family currently live in Westerville

Kandee joined Columbus First in May 2016 with over 19 years of experience in the banking industry, specializing in dental, medical and veterinary lending. Her career began as an inside account manager with Bank of America Practice Solutions, and most recently with United Community Bank as an SBA finance specialist. In her new role as an SBA Healthcare Specialist she assists dental, medical and veterinary professionals looking to purchase, expand and grow their practices, both locally and nationally.

She attended The Ohio State University and currently resides in Dublin, Ohio with her husband John, and children, Kelsie & Jack.

Justin Doran has been working in commercial lending since 2004 with a specialization in complex commercial loan transactions, including commercial and industrial lending and commercial real estate. His deep experience in credit, loan structure and customer service has proven particularly valuable to clients looking to expand their operations or refinance their debt structure.

Justin is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a major in Finance, and previously worked with Heartland Bank and Fahey Bank, managing large, sophisticated commercial loan portfolios.

Joe Flumian has been in the dental / medical industry helping doctors for 36 years.  He has SBA lending experience on a national basis as well has having owned his own business financed with an SBA loan.  His expertise in practice management, business plan development, financing, commercial real estate, and sales management brings a special skill set to Columbus First Bank. He covers the entire country for the bank for the generation of SBA business loans.

He attended the University of California, San Diego where he graduated with a double major followed by Graduate School at San Diego State University, School of Business, where he earned his MPA.  He currently resides in Charlotte, NC and has two adult children.

Chris Ruddy has been in the commercial real estate industry for more than 25 years. Starting out as a commercial appraiser in the 1990’s, she then redirected her career in 1997 and began working as a Commercial Lender for Commerce National Bank. She has been a commercial real estate lender for the last 19 years, assisting her customers with loans on apartment projects, office buildings, and retail and warehouse projects including construction, permanent and mezzanine financing. She completed her M.B.A. degree at Franklin University in 2001. She maintains a commitment to excellent customer service and to providing financing solutions for her customers to help them build a profitable real estate portfolio. Chris currently lives in Clintonville.

Eric joined Columbus First Bank in 2016 as the Senior Vice President of Residential Lending.  He has over 20 years of experience in mortgage lending in Central Ohio as a loan officer or in various management roles with mortgage brokers, national banks, and other community lenders.  Specializing in residential loans, he provides creative financing strategies, honest answers, and straight advice to help his clients find the ideal home loan that matches their own unique, personal financial situation.  As a founding member of CLOCO (Community Lenders of Central Ohio), Eric also works closely with other local lenders to serve the Columbus area’s more unique mortgage needs.

Eric graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Business Information Systems.  A native of Worthington and longtime Northwest Columbus resident, he graduated from Centennial High School and he currently resides in Worthington with his wife, Shannon, and son, Charlie.

Katie joined Columbus First Bank in 2009 as a Credit Administration Intern, and since that time has acquired valuable experience working in various roles at the bank. Most recently, she worked as a Commercial Credit Analyst prior to moving into her current position as an Assistant Vice President of Residential Lending.

She graduated from the University of Dayton in 2010 with a double major in Finance and Marketing. A native of Columbus, Katie is a graduate of Bishop Watterson High School. She currently resides in Powell with her husband.