Ameris eyes long-term growth: new drive-thru, new bankers, new offices (Courtesy of the Jacksonville Business Journal) — Jacksonville’s fifth-largest bank has a steady hand on what’s next.
North Florida Market Leader Market President Luciano Noir‑Jones (pictured above) plans to grow Ameris Bank’s commercial team into the double digits this year and has pinpointed where the Atlanta-headquartered organization could add square footage next.
Already, commercial loan production is trending to be better than last year’s.
“We’re way ahead,” Noir-Jones told the Business Journal, projecting $70 million in Q1 2026 alone, compared to $200 million across the entirety of 2025.
Strong initial results in-hand, Ameris has the confidence and momentum to push into Northeast Florida’s fastest-growing corridors.
Anchoring the ground floor of the former Truist Tower at 200 W. Forsyth St., Ameris’s newest branch opened six months ago. The city last week issued a $600,000 permit for construction of a drive-thru to be added onto that branch — a first for downtown, Noir-Jones said — expected to be operational in the 10 to 12 months.
That foothold downtown grants Ameris the ability to look toward other areas of Northeast Florida.
“Over 24 months, 36 months, because it takes time, we are looking for one or two offices,” he said. “Probably one on the north side of town, between [downtown] and St. Mary’s, Georgia — we have a little desert there. Then probably one in north St. Johns. That would be a nice to have, not a must have.”
A crucial backbone of the bank’s operations, Jacksonville is the second-largest region in Ameris’ footprint, behind Metro Atlanta.
The bank employs roughly 330 people in the region, with its 10 offices reporting more than $1.3 billion in matching deposits, according to the latest FDIC data.
Its commercial banking team includes eight bankers, but Noir-Jones aims to bring on two more by the end of the year. Aside from technical experience, relationship-based banking is what drives his hiring strategy.
“I like to say, ‘don’t have a joke and a Coke with your client,’” he said. “We need to have good conversations when we meet with our clients: ‘How are things going? How are the tariffs affecting you? How’s cash flow? What keeps you up at night?’ Those are the conversations that help us.”
The local banking scene has been swept by an array of mergers and acquisitions shaping new market entries and expansions of operations.
Pinnacle Financial Partners closed its $8.6 billion merger with Synovus Financial in January, and Fifth Third Bank completed its acquisition of Comerica Inc. in February. Both organizations are charting paths into new verticals and, in Pinnacle’s case, deploying aggressive hiring strategies.
Before those mergers, Pinnacle was No. 31, and Fifth Third was No. 10 among the region’s largest banks, ranked by local deposit market share with 0.06% and 0.9%, respectively. Ameris settled at No. 5 with 2.15% market share.
To Noir-Jones, that means the bank is courting potential clients from a position of strength.
“As long as we’re having those good conversations, I really find that nine, eight out of 10 times we’re going to win that business,” he said. “But time is our enemy. We only have so many hours in the day to meet with our clients and then make sure people get onboarded or move over efficiently.”
Looking ahead, Noir-Jones said Ameris’ outlook remains upbeat despite global uncertainty.
Many of the bank’s local clients found 2025 to be a reset year, he said. Now, their 2026 books are filling quickly, giving Ameris confidence that local businesses are positioned to accelerate.
“Business owners should be getting in the low 6% to the 5% range, which is good rates,” he said. “Twelve months ago, we were doing in the sevens and eights. So they’re getting relief. I do think that’s a positive for the business owner and for North Florida — pipelines are strong.”
Photo courtesy of Ameris Bank