BATON ROUGE, La., April 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Investar Bank recently announced the hiring of Jeff Blum as Executive Vice President to lead the newly established Commercial and Industrial (C&I) division. This new division furthers our strategy to grow deposits and enhance the products and services offered by the Bank. Blum has been focused on recruiting and hiring C&I professionals with established relationships. With a robust set of deposit and loan products, the Bank is positioned to take advantage of opportunities in the markets we serve.

“Developing this new C&I division was part of the Bank’s strategy to continue growing our core deposits while diversifying our loan portfolio and increasing value for our shareholders,” Jeff Blum, C&I Banking President, said. “I’m very excited to start executing our strategy to grow the C&I division by adding seasoned bankers who are well regarded in their respective markets. Our new relationship managers will integrate nicely with the existing team; positioning us for success,” continued Blum.   

Blum is building a highly experienced C&I team at Investar. Paul Judice has joined Investar as the new Commercial & Industrial (C&I) Market Manager and Senior Vice President in the Greater Baton Rouge market. Judice has 30 years of banking experience specializing in commercial lending with a focus on C&I business. He joins Investar from MidSouth Bank where he served as the Baton Rouge Regional President. Judice is responsible for developing and growing a commercial and industrial deposit and loan portfolio while providing the highest level of customer service. He has served the Baton Rouge community in many capacities, including serving as Directors on the C.B. Pennington Jr. YMCA Board and Catholic High School Alumni boards. As a graduate of Louisiana State University, Judice served as an Officer for the Sigma Chi Fraternity. He is also a graduate of the University of Oklahoma’s Commercial Lending School.

Also joining the team in Baton Rouge is Troy Hebert as C&I Relationship Manager and Senior Vice President. He joins Investar from MidSouth Bank bringing with him 30 years of banking experience. He will work with Judice to grow the commercial and industrial deposits and loans for the Bank. Hebert is actively involved in the Baton Rouge community and currently serves on many boards, including Associated Marine Institute, Wilson Global Initiative, United Way, St. Jude and Associated Builders and Contractors. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance as well as an MBA from Nicholls State University and is a graduate of LSU’s School of Banking.

In the Acadiana market Beau Phares joins as a C&I Relationship Manager and Senior Vice President. He has spent the last 17 years as a commercial lender with MidSouth Bank. He is actively involved in the Lafayette community serving various organizations, including District Chairman for Ducks Unlimited Lafayette, Advisory Council with St. Pius Elementary School and member of Young Professionals of LAGCOE, Rotary of Lafayette, Catholic Engaged Encounter and One Acadiana. Phares is a business management graduate of the University of Louisiana in Lafayette and served as the 2016 Class President of LSU’s School of Banking.

“The addition of Paul, Troy and Beau to our newly formed C&I division is an excellent beginning to strengthening our market share,” Jeff Blum, C&I Banking President, said.

Investar Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:ISTR), parent company of wholly-owned subsidiary Investar Bank, had total assets of approximately $1.6 billion as of Dec. 31, 2017. Investar Bank is a full-service community bank headquartered in Baton Rouge, La. offering extensive banking products and services for individuals and businesses for over 10 years. The Bank serves several markets across South Louisiana with 20 branches: the Baton Rouge area (four branches in Baton Rouge, one in Denham Springs, one in Port Allen, one in Gonzales, one in Prairieville, one in Jackson, one in Slaughter, one in St. Francisville & one in Zachary), Hammond, the Acadiana area (one in Lafayette, one in Ville Platte, one in Mamou and one in Pine Prairie) and the New Orleans area (one in Metairie, one in Elmwood and one in Mandeville). Equal Housing Lender. Member FDIC. To learn more, visit www.InvestarBank.com.

Contact:
Lisa O'Deay
225.227.2330
lisa.odeay@investarbank.com

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