As Regional President and Commercial Lending Team Leader, Joe Calabro is responsible for building and sustaining First Bank’s commercial lending relationships in the Greater Philadelphia area, as well as managing his team of lenders who cover the Greater Philadelphia and South New Jersey regions.
Mr. Calabro comes to First Bank from BB&T. His career of over 25 years includes experience in commercial lending, cash management, and retail. As a leader in his field, he has been involved at the executive level in bank acquisitions. Mr. Calabro has several professional certifications in cash management and commercial lending.
Joe Calabro is committed to his community. He is a member of the Southeastern Economic Development Committee of PA, the Leadership Committee of Church Farm School, and the Chester County CYO Athletic Board.
Phone: (973) 895-5827
David DiStefano is the Regional President and First Senior Vice President for the Northern New Jersey Region of First Bank. He is responsible for overseeing all commercial banking activity in the market. Mr. DiStefano played a key role in the Bank’s first acquisition in 2014 successfully integrating both organizations and expanding the bank’s presence in Northern New Jersey. He has made significant contributions to the growth of First Bank’s business and served as commercial lending Team Leader in Central New Jersey before transitioning north.
Prior to becoming First Bank’s first employee at recapitalization in 2008, David served as Assistant Vice President/Business Advisor for PNC Bank and held various positions in commercial lending and credit administration at Yardville National Bank. He received the New Leaders in Banking Award from the New Jersey Bankers Association in 2012.
Mr. DiStefano earned a Bachelor’s degree from Franklin and Marshall College where he majored in Accounting and Finance and minored in Economics. At F&M, he was awarded the William H. Hager Prize for showing the highest attainment in the field of business, marketing, and merchandising. He received his MBA from Rider University and attended the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Pennsylvania. David is a licensed New Jersey Realtor. He and his family reside in Allentown, NJ. Mr. DiStefano is active in many volunteer organizations including his service as Treasurer for The Allentown Village Initiative.
As First Senior Vice President and Market Executive for First Bank, Gene McCarthy and his team are responsible for asset generation in both the commercial lending and investment real estate market segments and for deposit growth within the greater Central New Jersey region.
Gene began his banking career in 1983 as a commercial credit analyst with Mellon Bank. During the course of his career, Mr. McCarthy has held various leadership roles leading and managing both lending and commercial credit teams. Prior to joining First Bank, Mr. McCarthy served as Lead Senior Managing Director at Peapack-Gladstone Bank and Director of Real Estate and Commercial Banking at M&T Bank.
Mr. McCarthy received a B.A. in Economics from Bucknell University. He is a current Trustee and former Board Chair at Raritan Valley Community College Foundation and committee member and past Board Chair for the Hunterdon County YMCA.
Scott Bachman is a Senior Vice President and Market Executive for the Bucks County region of First Bank in Pennsylvania. He is responsible for overseeing all Commercial Banking activity in the market by supporting the existing client base while acquiring new lending and deposit relationships to the bank.
Mr. Bachman has worked in the Commercial Banking industry for over 20 years. Prior to joining First Bank in 2019, he held various positions at Citizens Bank, M&T and TD Bank while specializing in C&I and Investment real estate.
As an alumni of Kutztown University, Mr. Bachman has dedicated himself to volunteering in his community through various non-profit organizations. As a 15 year resident of Lansdale, PA with his family, he also sits on the Upper Gwynedd Township Planning Commission and is active in the Lower Bucks Chamber of Commerce.
As a Senior Vice President, Mike Cook is the Manager for Investment Real Estate in New Jersey and is responsible for the management, administration, and development of a commercial loan portfolio of over $350 million as well as the Bank’s Construction Lending Department. He has been the top-producing lender for First Bank each year since 2012. Prior to joining the First Bank team, Mr. Cook served as a Senior Analyst then Assistant Vice President/Relationship Manager at M&T Bank in New York City where he managed a commercial real estate portfolio of over $400 million.
Terrance Howard leads the bank’s Central Jersey commercial lending team in Hamilton, NJ. He brings 18 years of commercial banking experience to First Bank, where he specializes in servicing commercial middle market banking clients while providing a range of banking solutions that include a full complement of commercial lending and deposit capabilities. Terrance’s banking philosophy involves a proactive, relationship building to partner with clients for all of their business lending needs. Efficiency, effectiveness and a proactive partnership is at the forefront of the business relationship. Terrance understands the importance and value of what a client seeks in a banking partner while bringing strategic solutions that help company’s gain access to capital to help their businesses grow.
Prior to joining First Bank, Terrance served as Relationship Manager and Vice President at Investors Bank, where he focused on building business Relationships via lending, cash management and other ancillary banking products. Terrance also spent 7 years as a Relationship Manager and Vice President at Santander Bank in the same role at Investors Bank. During Terrance’s time with Investors Bank he was recognized as one of the “Best of the Best” bankers by the bank in 2014, 2015, and 2016. He was also a part of Investors Bank “Circle of Excellence” for the one of the Bank’s top lending and deposit producers in 2014, 2015, and 2016.
Terrance has established himself in many roles, from business banker to business development and leadership. Terrance holds a Bachelor Degree in Economics from the University of Notre Dame and a M.B.A in Finance from Rutgers University. He resides in Plumsted Township.
Larry Lee manages First Bank’s Loan Workout Department, where he works with lending clients who are seen as having difficulties paying back their loans.
Larry began his career doing similar work for TD Bank. From there he became a relationship manager where he made loans and sold bank products and services to small and medium-sized businesses.
Larry earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Lehigh University. He is involved in various community organizations including Habitat for Humanity, the Boy Scouts, and the First Presbyterian Church in Manasquan, NJ.
First Bank Senior Vice President and Consumer Lending Manager Greg Perri, Jr has worked in the credit and banking industry since 1986 where he began his career with Chrysler Credit. Since then, Mr. Perri accepted positions of increasing responsibilities at a number of financial institutions, including ITT Financial, Horizon Financial, First Valley Bank, Trenton Savings Bank, and NJM Bank. Prior to joining First Bank, he served as Vice President, Loan Department Manager at NJM Bank in West Trenton, New Jersey, a de novo bank which opened in September 1999. Mr. Perri began his career at NJM Bank in August 1999 as Assistant Vice President and was promoted to Vice President in 2003. He managed NJM Bank’s mortgage and consumer loan portfolio of over 4,700 accounts at $280 million in outstandings. At First Bank, he is responsible for all areas of consumer lending.
A resident of Florence, New Jersey, Mr. Perri maintains active involvement in various professional and community service organizations. Currently, he is a Member of The College of New Jersey’s Alumni Career Resource Bank. He served on the Executive Committee of the Florence Township Soccer Association as the Club Travel Coordinator. He was a former Director of the New Jersey Credit Association. Mr. Perri earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from The College of New Jersey.
Besides Loan Workout, Joe has held many roles throughout his extensive banking career; Portfolio Manager, Chief Appraiser and Head of Loan Servicing, and Mortgage Loan and Asset Recovery Officer.
A resident of Bridgewater, New Jersey, Mr. Browarski earned Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from William Paterson University of New Jersey and has taken graduate courses at both NYU and UPSLA. He is a past member of the Mortgage Bankers Association of New Jersey.
Arnaldo (Arnie) Galassi is a Vice President and Lending Project Manager at First Bank. His position entails developing and managing lending projects, project schedules and work plans, providing project updates to stakeholders, managing vendor and supplier contracts, and preparing reports on various lending activities for senior management.
Arnie has been in the finance field for over 30 years managing regional treasury organizations and working with banks on various cash management RFPs globally. He has held a variety of senior management positions with large companies, both domestic and international, including Bank of America, AT&T/Lucent Technologies, Europe & Asia Pacific, Arctic Slope Regional Corp., and Ralph Lauren Corp in Lyndhurst, NJ.
Mr. Galassi earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Ursinus College and his MBA from Rutgers University. He has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity in Patterson, NJ and Hackensack River Keepers, and was involved in several organizations while overseas in Hong Kong and Singapore. Arnie has presented at various EuroFinance Conferences and the Asian Business Form, and has published several pieces in Treasury Management International and other trade publications.
Brent Gardner is Vice President and Consumer Loan Officer for First Bank, where he is responsible for developing and managing the Bank’s Consumer Loan portfolio.
Brent has over 10 years of experience in banking, beginning in the branches as teller and expanding his career into the lending area.
Mr. Gardner currently serves on the advisory board for the non-profit Resident Theatre Company in West Chester, where he also resides. He is a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, the Chester County Food Bank, and CYWA food distribution program in Coatesville, PA.
