Chris Adams, President

Effectiveness Leader
First Commonwealth Bank

Chris Adams is the Financial Solutions Small Business Executive at First Commonwealth Bank.  He graduated from Indiana University of PA in 1994, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.  He would later go on to attain a Master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and Marketing from the University of Pittsburgh in 1998.  Chris has spent 25 years in the financial services industry and has led teams ranging from 18 to 132 branches.  Chris has a proven track record as a superb coach and leader.  In his current role at First Commonwealth Bank, he is fully responsible for growing the bank’s small business loan and deposit balance sheet as well as developing and then leading the overall strategy and sales activities related to Small Business.  Preceding this role, he was the Sales Effectiveness Leader for First Commonwealth, which included leading the Pittsburgh Metro Division, the Workplace Banking Program as well as serving as the Sales Coach for the Market Leaders and Business Bankers in PA and OH.  Prior to joining First Commonwealth, Chris’ financial services career included leadership roles at SunTrust Bank and National City Bank.  At SunTrust Bank, Chris worked as a Market Leader, in charge of 21 financial centers.  He inherited a market that was ranked 129th out of 131 and he led his Market to consistently finish in the top 20%, culminating with the achievement of leading the #1 ranked Market for three years in a row from 2012 through 2014.  Chris was subsequently chosen to lead the execution of superior sales strategies and processes for 132 Branches across the state of Virginia.  Prior to SunTrust Bank, Chris worked ten years at National City Bank in various capacities, including as a Relationship Manager in the Middle Market, Private Banker (servicing high net worth households in the Private Client Group) and a District Sales Executive in charge of eight branches in Central PA.  
 
Chris and his wife, Fianna Adams, have six children, Trey, Brady, Maksim, Cruze, Athena and Portia.  He has served on the YMCA Membership and Program Development Committee since 2018.  He is extremely active with the Indiana Little League, serving as a Coach on each of the 6 teams his children play on.  He has previously volunteered on the Indiana University of PA and Clarion University Business Advisory Boards.  He also served on the Boards of the Indiana County Small Business Incubator, as well as the Rowan Chamber of Commerce and Stanly (NC) Community College.  He also has continued to play baseball, where he has competed in the Indiana County 40+ League the last 4 years.