First Reliance Bank has hired Suzanne Hill as senior vice president and market president, Winston-Salem. Hill will be responsible for overseeing all lines of business, including personal banking, business banking, investments, mortgage banking and business development.

“Suzanne’s experience aligns with our strategic priorities and our focus on positioning the bank for transformational growth across the Carolinas,” said Rick Saunders, CEO of First Reliance Bank, based in Florence, S.C.

Hill has nearly 15 years of commercial banking experience, most recently serving as market president for a commercial bank in North Carolina. She received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Appalachian State University and will graduate from Louisiana State University’s Graduate School of Banking in June 2021. Hill is a 2015 Leadership Winston-Salem graduate, she currently serves on the boards of Korner’s Folly Foundation and Kernersville YMCA and is the director of community service for the Kernersville Rotary Club.

“First ...

Rick Saunders, CEO of First Reliance Bank based in Florence, has joined the Advisory Board for the Florence County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) Foundation.

“This Foundation will help equip the Florence County Sheriff’s Office with additional resources to carry out their duty to protect and serve our community,” said Saunders. “I look forward to working with my fellow board members to support this important effort.”

The newly formed foundation’s funds will be used to provide life-saving equipment and to help deputies and their families in the case of an emergency. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit in partnership with the Eastern Carolina Community Foundation.

In 1999, with 19 years of banking experience, Saunders founded First Reliance Bank, which has since grown to nearly $775 million in assets. First Reliance employs 178 associates with branches in Florence, West Columbia, Lexington, Columbia, Mount Pleasant, Downtown Greenville, Taylors, Simpsonville, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. ...