Our Professionals | Who We Are | First Tryon Securities, LLC

The key to First Tryon’s success has been a client-centric service model built on four pillars: experience, expertise, accessibility, and enthusiasm. At First Tryon, we invest in hiring only highly reputable and talented professionals who are always accessible and provide unparalleled service, value, and insight to our clients.

Mr. Brunnemer is the founder of First Tryon Securities and has played an integral role in our development and success since we first opened our doors in 1996.

H. Keith Brunnemer, Jr.

Founder

Mr. Brunnemer is the Chief Executive Officer of the firm and manages the firm's trading and sales department. He has over twenty years of experience trading a wide range of securities.

H. Keith Brunnemer III

CEO

Ms. Carpenter is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer of the firm.

Margaret Carpenter

Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer

Mr. Wardlaw began his trading career in 1997, joining First Tryon in 2007 after trading bond options at NationsBank – CRT and equity options in London and Frankfurt with Bank of America.

Craig Wardlaw

Director

Mr. Linder joined the First Tryon team in 2000, spending the first seven years of his career shared between Wheat First Securities and First Union Securities.

Ray Linder

Director

Ms. Howell has been with First Tryon Securities since 2003 and deals primarily with corporate bond sales and emerging markets.

Liz Howell

Director

Mr. Joseph has been with First Tryon since 2004 after stints with Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers.

Eric Joseph

Director

Mr. Mitchell has a vast 43 years of experience in institutional municipal sales having worked with such well-known companies as PNC, Bear Stearns and Wachovia, before joining First Tryon Securities in 2007.

Scott Mitchell

Director

Ken Kerr

Director

Mr. Hess brings over 35 years of experience to First Tryon, concentrated in trading and underwriting GSE debt, as well as a background in financial futures and options. During his career he has helped firms integrate electronic trading platforms into their business models.

Robert Hess

Director

Mr. Pensabene is First Tryon Securities’ Operations Manager with over 20 years of accounting, finance, and brokerage operations experience.

Dominick Pensabene

Vice President

Mr. Goldsmith is the First Tryon Advisors Department Head and has over 19 years of experience serving tax exempt borrowers in the Southeast region.

Walter Goldsmith

Managing Director, Department Head

Ms. Truchon is the Chief Compliance Officer of the firm and has served in this role since 2008.

Tracy Truchon

Chief Compliance Officer

Tina Taylor

Controller

Mr. Cheatwood is focused on providing advisory services to local government, utility and healthcare issuers throughout the Southeast.

David Cheatwood

Managing Director

Mr. Hobson is focused on providing advisory services to higher education and not-for-profit institutions throughout the Southeast.

Robert Hobson

Managing Director

Ms. Vitner is focused on providing advisory services to local government and utility institutions throughout the Southeast.

Amy Vitner

Managing Director

Joshua Lassiter is the Director of First Tryon's operational consulting practice where his focus is on helping clients remove barriers that are hindering organizational success. Mr. Lassiter and his team assist university leadership in aggressively pursuing their most important strategic issues.

Joshua Lassiter

Director

Mr. Lovins is focused on providing advisory services to higher education and not-for-profit institutions throughout the Southeast.

Greg Lovins

Director

Mr. Ketner is focused on providing advisory services to higher education institutions throughout the Southeast.

Rob Ketner

Director

Stephen was welcomed to First Tryon Advisors in June 2022 when he joined as a Vice President in our Operational Consulting practice.

Stephen Honeycutt

Vice President

Mr. Habliston is focused on providing advisory services to local governments, utility systems, and not-for-profit entities throughout the Southeast.

Charles Habliston

Vice President

Brandon DeCoste provides qualitative and quantitative support to First Tryon’s issuer clients, including complex Excel modeling, DBC analysis, capital planning and financing execution work.

Brandon DeCoste

Vice President

Mr. Keysor is focused on providing analytical support to institutions throughout the Southeast.

Jordan Keysor

Associate

Will Cuthbertson

Associate

Ryann Evans

Analyst