Buffkin / Baker Recruits Chief Lending Officer for Three Roots Capital
October 18, 2024 – Chief lending officers play a crucial role in managing and overseeing an organization’s lending strategies and operations. They ensure that lending practices align with regulatory requirements and risk management standards while maximizing profitability. Craig Buffkin and Ryan Baggett of partner-led executive search firm Buffkin / Baker recently assisted in the recruitment of Keith Hickey as senior vice president and chief lending officer of Three Roots Capital.
Mr. Hickey previously served as director of lending and banking relationships at Pathway Lending beginning in 2018. He has been in the finance and banking industry for more than 30 years, including roles with First Community Bank, First Horizon National Bank, Clayton Bank, and SunTrust. His passion and purpose are to partner with local banks, ecosystem partners, local entrepreneurs, and local business professionals to help with access to capital and technical assistance.
Three Roots Capital is a finance company that provides loans and equity investments to small businesses and real estate projects in Tennessee and Appalachia. It was established to address the chronic need for investment capital in central and southern Appalachia. 3Roots supports small businesses, entrepreneurs, real estate projects, and communities in economically challenged areas throughout the region.
Buffkin / Baker is a specialty boutique search firm composed of industry leaders in their respective fields and each has over a decade of retained search experience. Their focus as search professionals is to recruit leaders in digital marketing/advertising, technology, healthcare, media/entertainment, finance, higher education, and non-profit. The firm serves public, private, venture, and private equity-backed companies. Its office locations include Nashville, TN; New York; Washington, D.C.; and Winston Salem, NC, with affiliate offices in London.
Buffkin / Baker is a member of Panorama Search, an international federation of retained firms with 18 firms and over 30 offices globally. Buffkin / Baker formed in 2017 with the merger of the Buffkin Group and Baker and Associates LLC.
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Mr. Buffkin, the firm’s founder, serves as the managing partner, and as head of the private equity and transformation practices, where he is actively involved with client engagements and business development. He has completed search work at the board, executive and senior level both nationally and internationally for a wide range of private, public, venture-backed, and private equity-back companies.
Mr. Baggett, associate partner, is actively engaged in a variety of industry searches. Prior to joining Buffkin / Baker in 2014, he was employed with Maxim Healthcare Services, specializing in the recruitment and placement of medical professionals on both a regional and national level. Before working in regional talent acquisitions, Mr. Baggett worked in a senior recruitment capacity with the local branch office in Nashville, where he engaged in business development, management of staff, compliance procedures and the overall recruitment efforts.
Recent Search
Buffkin / Baker also recently assisted in the recruitment of Russell Keen as the new president of Augusta University. Partner Ann Yates and associate Dinah DeWitt led the assignment. Her appointment follows an announcement last fall by AU president Brooks Keel, that he would retire following the 2023-24 academic year, ending a 40-year career in higher education. Reporting to the chancellor of the University System of Georgia, Dr. Keen will serve as the campus’ chief executive officer, directs the work of the senior executive leadership team, oversees a budget of approximately $968 million, and is responsible for shaping the vision and strategic direction of the university.
“Russell has the experience and institutional knowledge for the job, and that will be critical as we look to increase Augusta University’s impact in Georgia and beyond,” University System of Georgia (USG) chancellor Sonny Perdue said. “I’m looking forward to watching Dr. Keen push AU toward being one of the best research universities in the nation as it continues to emphasize student success.”
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
