Heritage Financial Group, Inc., the holding company for HeritageBank of the South, today announced that it has named Brian D. Schmitt as Executive Vice President, Atlanta Market CEO and Director of Mergers & Acquisitions.

Prior to joining Heritage Financial Group, Schmitt, age 53, worked as an independent consultant to financial institutions. From 2006 to 2013, he served as President and CEO of The PrivateBank and Trust Company's Georgia division, where he oversaw all operations of the $350 million bank division. Before joining PrivateBank, he was President and CEO of the Piedmont Bank of Georgia from 2001 until the bank was acquired by PrivateBank in 2006. Other career responsibilities included serving as Senior Vice President of Branch Bank and Trust Company (BB&T), Executive Vice President of Premier Bank, and Vice President of Prime Bank, all based in Atlanta.

Schmitt will be based at the Company's metro Atlanta branch office in Norcross, Georgia, following the closing of Heritage Financial Group's previously announced acquisition of that branch from PrivateBank. That branch acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2014, subject to regulatory approval and other customary conditions.

Commenting on the addition of Schmitt to the Company's management team, Leonard Dorminey, President and Chief Executive Officer of Heritage Financial Group, Inc., said, "We are pleased and fortunate to have someone of Brian's experience and Atlanta market expertise join our company. We consider this a further indication of the rising stature of HeritageBank as an employer of choice – an exciting opportunity and a career destination – for high-performing banking talent in the South. Brian brings with him deep market knowledge and a diverse background in mergers and acquisitions that we believe will help us better serve our customers, identify additional banks that offer a good fit with what we are accomplishing at HeritageBank, broaden our visibility in the market, and enhance our ability to continue to recruit capable commercial bankers."