Beating Goliaths among banks

Pinnacle, like David with his slingshot, fights smart

When most people think about the story of David and Goliath, they imagine a small shepherd wielding a slingshot who prevailed against almost insurmountable odds.

This isn’t quite right. Goliath brought a sword, javelin and spear to the fight. Against a skilled practitioner of the slingshot, this was akin in the modern world to bringing knives to a gunfight.

It’s through this prism that one can understand the success of Pinnacle Financial Partners ( NASDAQ: PNFP). Starting from a single location in downtown Nashville 17 years ago, Pinnacle has gone on to amass nearly $ 21 billion in assets.

It’s done so by stealing market share from the banking behemoths that many industry observers have long believed to be invulnerable to attack from below.

Culture has been Pinnacle’s weapon of choice, wielding its reputation as a great place to work to attract the best bankers ( and their books of business) away from its bigger and better- funded competitors.