Bulloch First Announces the Retirement of Gary Johnson and names new President Wes Simmons.
William E. (Wes) Simmons, Jr. has been named President of Bulloch First Bank, following the March 31st retirement of veteran Statesboro banker Gary Johnson. Johnson has served as President of the financial institution since it opened September 15, 2015. Under Johnson’s leadership the office has grown to over $65 Million in assets and constructed a state of the art banking facility, located at 1101 Brampton Avenue in Statesboro. Johnson will continue to serve as a fiduciary member of the Board of Directors for The Citizens Bank of Swainsboro and holding company Swainsboro Bankshares, Inc. “We truly appreciate Gary and the leadership he has provided to make Bulloch First a success,” said Milton Gray, President and CEO of The Citizens Bank of Swainsboro. “We owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude for all that he has done for our company.”
Simmons has served as Vice-President of Lending for Bulloch First since the office opened in 2015. “We are fortunate to have Wes assume the leadership role at Bulloch First” said Gray. “He has been instrumental in the growth of our loan portfolio because of his professionalism and his commitment to the customers that he has the privilege to serve. We are excited about the future of Bulloch First under his leadership.”
Simmons is a 2004 graduate of University of Georgia and is currently attending the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. Simmons is a member of the Downtown Rotary Club of Statesboro, Sigma Chi Fraternity, Forest Heights Country Club, Board member of the Homebuilders Association of Statesboro, and member of Statesboro First United Methodist Church. In addition, he is a 2012 graduate of Leadership Bulloch, and 2013 graduate of Georgia Banking School. He is married to Haley Tillman Simmons; they have two daughters, Marylee Greta and Maggie Kay.
Bulloch First is a division of Citizens Bank of Swainsboro. The Citizens Bank was established in 1900 as a state-chartered community bank and has a 120-year history of providing quality community banking services, with offices located in Swainsboro, Dublin, and Statesboro.