Colony Bank today announced that Richard Welch has joined the Company as Vice President, Commercial Banker for its Valdosta, Georgia, market. Welch will report to Eddie Smith, Regional President.

Welch has 13 years of banking experience in the Valdosta market, having served the past eight years as a Vice President and Commercial Lender for Synovus Bank. Prior banking experience includes serving as Business Service Officer for BB&T’s mid-south region, which included Valdosta, and as a Commercial Lender for the Southern Georgia Regional Commission. Welch has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from Valdosta State University and has been certified by the National Development Council as an Economic Development Finance Professional. He currently serves as co-chair for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Lowndes County Executive Board and as a member of the Board of the Greater Valdosta United Way. Welch and his wife, Megan, have two boys, Carter and Rhett, and are members of the Park Avenue Methodist Church. His hobbies including serving as a Coach at Future Sports in baseball, football, basketball and soccer, as well as playing golf and hunting.

Commenting on the announcement, Eddie Smith, Regional President of Colony Bankcorp, said, “Richard is a great addition to the talented team of bankers serving our Valdosta market. His broad range of banking and lending experience, especially in servicing loans for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Economic Development Administration (EDA) will be valuable in servicing the diverse needs of clients in and around Valdosta. We welcome Richard to the Colony Bank team and look forward to his contributions to meeting our commercial customer needs efficiently and effectively in this expanding market.”