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About First Bank and Trust
First Bank and Trust of Mississippi is a state-chartered, commercial bank with branches in Biloxi and Winona, MS. It is a subsidiary of Firstrust Corporation. Firstrust Corporation, owned by Biloxi native Joseph C. Canizaro, is a multi-bank holding company with over $750 million in assets and $65 million in capital.
First Bank and Trust of Mississippi is a locally-focused, community-based bank. As the local and national economies continue to grow, the trend in banking is to grow large, impersonal institutions through mergers and acquisitions. First Bank and Trust of Mississippi intends to return banking to what it should be - community-based and customer-friendly. Our philosophy is that long-term relationships are more important than short-term profits.
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First Bank and Trust of Mississippi Mission Statement
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The mission of First Bank & Trust of Mississippi is to be the best Community Bank in our
markets for our business and retail customers. We will, with quality assets, provide an
extraordinary return on equity to our shareholders while focusing on providing our customers
quality and efficiently delivered banking products and services. Our employees will be
recognized as the "best in the business" through careful hiring, extraordinary training and
well-organized leadership who provide competitive compensation with performance based incentives.
Our community will be a better place to live as a result of our employee and investors' commitment
to work individually and as a team in helping to improve the quality of life of all of the people
in our Mississippi communities.
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Board of Directors
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Joseph C. Canizaro, Chairman
Joseph C. Canizaro is President and Chief Executive Officer of Columbus Properties, L.P., a commercial real estate development company he founded and headquartered in New Orleans. Columbus Properties has acquired, developed and/or managed office buildings, hotels, mixed-use projects, as well as land and residential projects throughout the Southeast/Southwest. Some of his most recognized developments in New Orleans include Canal Place, LL&E Tower, Texaco Center, First Bank Center (formerly the Galleria in Metairie) and the Information Technology Center Office Complex located at the University of New Orleans Research and Technology Park.
In 1991 he formed Firstrust Corporation, a bank holding company which subsequently acquired First Bank and Trust headquartered in New Orleans and People's Bank headquartered in Amite, Louisiana. Mr. Canizaro serves as Chairman of the Board of both First Bank and Trust and Firstrust Corporation.
He founded Corporate Capital, L.L.C. in August 1998, a venture capital company currently investing in traditional American businesses. One of its investments, Innovus, Inc., is the operator of more than 9,000 ATM locations throughout the United States.
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Gerald Blessey
Gerald Blessey is currently president of Tradition Properties, Inc., a member of the Canizaro family of companies, which is currently developing a 4,600 acre, multi-phase residential development in Harrison County. He is a decorated Viet Nam veteran and a graduate of Ole Miss and Harvard Law School. Gerald was mayor of Biloxi from 1981-89 and served 10 years as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives (1971-81). He is founder of the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum and the Old Biloxi Schooner Project. He currently sits on the Boards of the Center for Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, the Walter Anderson Museum of Art and the Boys and Girls Club Leadership Board. Gerald is married to Dr. Paige Guiterrez and they have two children, Grace and Mary. They are members of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Biloxi.
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Donald Bond
Donald Bond is a lifelong resident of Mississippi who has been a practicing attorney since passing the bar in 1969. He earned a Bachelor degree from Mississippi State University and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Mississippi School of Law. He has served in various judicial positions at the city and county level in the Winona area. In addition, he is a member of the Winona Rotary Club, the Montgomery County Economic Council and is a past President of the Winona Chamber of Commerce. He previously served as Chairman of the Board for Central Bank for savings.
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Frank E. Herring
Frank Herring owns A.R. Burt Insurance Agency in Winona, MS. He served as a director of Central Bank Savings from 1979 to 2005. He holds degrees from Copiah Lincoln Community College and the University of Southern Mississippi. Frank is active in the Winona Rotary Club and Moore Memorial Methodist Church, where he teaches Sunday school. He is a charter member of the Winona Men's Club and is currently president of Winona Country Club.
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Alben (Al) N. Hopkins
Al Hopkins is senior partner in The Law Firm of Hopkins, Barvi', & Hopkins, and is also President of Muddy River Farms, LLC, a farming and land development company doing business in North and South Mississippi. Hopkins is Major General on the Mississippi National Guard retired list effective March 1996. He serves on the Court of Military Appeals for the Mississippi Military Department, State of Mississippi, as Chief Judge. Al has served on many local, state, and national organizations. He has received many honors and awards including, The Legion of Merit and Meritorious Service Medal. Al was born in Ripley, Mississippi and is married to the former Ruth Boyd, they have 2 children. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and English from Delta State University where he was a three-year varsity letterman in basketball. He graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1965. He also earned a degree in Biblical Studies from William Carey College, where he completed additional studies in Jerusalem, Israel and Biblical Archaeological Society at Oxford University.
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Robert F. Mahoney, Jr.
Robert "Bobby" F. Mahoney Jr. is currently president and General Manager of Mary Mahoney's Inc., which owns and operates the famous Mary Mahoney's Restaurant in Biloxi, MS. He has served on the Mississippi Coast Coliseum board of Commissioners for the past 12 years and presently serves on the Board of Directors for the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum. Bobby and his wife Sandra have one son, two daughters and one grandson all living in Biloxi.
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Dalton D. McGuire, Jr.
Dalton McGuire, Jr. is the president of McGuire Design & Construction, Inc. in Gulfport. Dalton is a second-generation homebuilder and lifelong resident of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. With over 20 years of experience, Dalton builds and remodels custom homes in neighborhoods along the coast. Dalton is a current board member of the Homebuilders Association of Mississippi, as well as past president. He is also a member of the Coast Chamber and past chairperson of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Parade of Homes. Dalton has 2 sons, Dalton, III, 19, a sophomore at Ole Miss and Jeffery, 17, a senior at Gulfport High School. He resides in Pass Christian.
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James E. (Jamie) Sablich, Jr.
Jamie Sablich is the owner and C.E.O. of Sablich Enterprises located in D'Iberville, MS. Sablich Enterprises is the parent company of Mississippi Beverage Systems, Newman's Restaurant Supply, Coast Gaming Supply, Data Management Consultants, Al Fresco Italian Bistro, Burger-Burger Biloxi, Burger-Burger Ocean Springs, and Jsablich Properties. He is a member of the St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Ocean Springs, the Biloxi Bay, the D'Iberville/St. Martin Area and the Ocean Springs Chambers of Commerce, Sunkist Country Club, and a board member of the Ocean Springs Athletic Foundation. Jamie also serves on 2 other corporate boards, Firstrust Corporation and CRSA. Jamie and his wife Mary have four children, Jamie III, Jennifer, John, and Justin and reside in Ocean Springs. They are also contributors to the University of Notre Dame through the Sablich Family Scholarship Endowment.
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Rodney M. Van Loon
Rodney Van Loon, CPA/PFS, CFP® is currently the senior member of Alexander, Van Loon, Sloan, Levens & Favre, PLLC in Gulfport, MS, the largest CPA firm in South Mississippi. Rodney is also a managing member of AVL WealthCare, LLC that handles financial planning and is a SEC registered investment advisory firm. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a certified Personal Financial Specialist (PFS), and is also a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®). He sits on the Accounting Advisory Board in the College of Business at The University of Southern Mississippi. Rodney and his wife have two children and are members of the Church of Redeemer in Biloxi.
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Kosta N. Vlahos
Kosta N. Vlahos is a life long residence of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Tulane University in 1963 and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Mississippi in 1966. Kosta grew up in the hospitality industry on the Gulf Coast. His family had restaurant and motel businesses in Pascagoula and Biloxi where he began working at an early age. In 1984, he and his wife, Kally, built from "scratch" the Beachwater Inn. With Kally managing the motel, he continued to serve as a Circuit Court Judge, and today is the Senior Circuit Court Judge for Harrison, Hancock and Stone counties. He served 13 years with the Mississippi Army National Guard, has been a member of various civic and community organizations and is a member of the Holy Trinity Church in Biloxi, Mississippi. Kosta and his wife, Kally, have three children and reside in Gulfport, Mississippi.
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Jon Mart Windham
Mart Windham is the General Manager of Waring Oil Company and Neill Gas Company, based in Gulfport, Mississippi. Windham oversees distribution activities for their retail facilities in Mississippi and Louisiana, which include convenience stores and fuel operations under the Chevron and Texaco brand names. He also manages the company's wholesale distribution of oil and fuel products in the Gulf South region. An active participant in economic development initiatives and industry issues, he currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Propane Gas Association and is a member of the Mississippi Petroleum Marketers Association and Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. Windham is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Workforce Investment Board and Ocean Springs Y.M.C.A. He is a graduate of Mississippi State University with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration. He and his wife, Joanna, live in Ocean Springs and have three children.
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