Southern First Bank traces its corporate origins back to 1999 when it was founded in Greenville, South Carolina, by a group of experienced local bankers and business leaders who sought to establish an independent community bank focused on relationship-based commercial and retail banking. Over subsequent decades, the bank expanded its operational footprint rapidly across key metropolitan markets in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia through organic branch openings and strategic client service initiatives. Listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange as Southern First Bancshares, Inc., the institution evolved into a major regional financial powerhouse while retaining its local decision-making structure and commitment to small business growth.